Category Archives: Animals

Well-Armed

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Well-Armed

Folks who are idolatrous
have deified the octopus.
The Durga of the watery world,
with her many arms unfurled,
when she suffers from upheaval,
she turns dangerous and evil.

Don’t underrate this ocean creature—
a lethal underwater feature.
Rankled, she exacts revenge,
her disturbed leisure to avenge,
for warfare is the medium
with which she relieves tedium.

A predator from dawn to dawn,
I could write an essay on
the sustenance she preys upon.
First they’re there and then they’re gone,
turned into impromptu feast
by this many-suckered beast.

This queen of the underworld
is lethal with her arms unfurled,
so if perchance you come upon her,
do not think that you can con her.
For if you try, I have a hunch
you might become her choice for lunch.

 

Durga is a fierce warrior goddess. She is depicted in Hindu art as riding on a lion or a tiger. She has many arms and is always brandishing a variety of weapons.

Prompt words today are octopus, essay, upheaval, rankle and medium. Image by Serena Repice Lentini on Unsplash. 

Fatal Wonder

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Fatal Wonder

Where’s that naughty kitty been?
Even though it’s nearly ten,
she’s not had a single nibble
of the tuna and the kibble
that I put outside the door
long ago—two hours or more.
If dead from curiosity,
she’s passed her illness onto me!  

For dverse Poets Quadrille Challenge: Curious

Bobcat

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Bobcat

You stroll across the road in front of us
as though you do not notice us.
Astonished, we capitulate our right of way
and sit in the car, digesting our wonder
at your incursion into this tame neighborhood
spread like a blanket
over the wildness of the desert.

It is no wonder
that life in this place
seems to be laden
with occasional visits
of rattlesnakes and bobcats
such as yourself,
but it is by chance that,
like a brief vacation from our own banality,
we bear witness to your incursion.

Even given your languid stroll,
I cannot move quickly enough to record it,
but providence provides,
and minutes after we pull into the garage and come inside,
an email arrives from the neighbor
that records your incursion
into his backyard.

He stalked you with his camera,
and we with our eyes
as you strolled serenely
in between your own stalkings.

Oh, bobcat,
beautiful element
of that wild nature that surrounds
and enriches us
and which, in spite of
evidence to the contrary,
we are a part of—

If I were religious,
these words
of your sighting
would be my prayer.

Prompts today are chance, capitulate, digest, lade and astonished. Photo by Paul Brown. Thanks, Paul, for capturing what I could only try to capture in words. Photo taken on Friday afternoon, April 16, 2021. Location: Trilogy at Vistancia, Peoria, Arizona.

Over Head

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Over Head

Lying in the hammock, searching for my words,
I come up with nothing, so I consult the birds.
They lift up off my trees to circle in a ring
as though they’re reconnoitering every single thing.

Swooping to partake of swirling clouds of  gnats,
eying all my fruit trees, teasing both the cats,
who, crouched up on the roof, dream culinary wishes—
far above their heads, those tiny feathered fishes

far out of their reach, but so mesmerizing that 
they far exceed temptation of squirrel or of rat.
Cats find bird movements insolent, drifting high up there.
Such an outrê thing to do, floating in the air!

Prompt words today are consult, insolent, outré and reconnoiter.

Little Duck’s Redux: Cee’s Fun Foto Prompt

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Click on first photo and then each photo to enlarge and see the story of Little Duck.

Little duck emerges from his handy little private condo in the kitchen cabinet..
Really little Drain Duck is the newest addition to the Forgottenman household. He makes Little Duck into Big Duck by comparison––or, at the least, Medium Duck.
Little Duck seems to have been very influenced by the Rio Olympics. Here I caught him working on his gymnastics routine on the steady ring(s).
I don’t think bungee jumping is an Olympic event yet, Little Duck!
But all that exercise took its toll. A few electrolytes helped restore energy. Forgottenman tried to pour salt on his tail to slow him down, but made the startling discovery that Little Duck has no tail!!! That explains why it is so hard to catch him when he is up to his usual tricks.
So he decided to go visit his little friends, immigrants from Forgottenman’s earlier visits to Mexico. That’s Forgottenman trying to get into Mexico with his Murdo reunion T-Shirt on. That’s the immigration officer duck blocking his way.
luckily this cooler version of the original grim pitchfork wielder had no objections to Little Duck making it a trio act.
And of course, being Little Duck, he had to get into the action.
When he woke up, it was to a flurry of packing. Seems the househumans are taking off for Minnesota tomorrow. Determined not to be left behind, Little Duck decided to smuggle himself into Judy’s bag, but misjudged the size of his tummy after all those treats and got stuck.
Although Little Duck at first remained in his ceiling seat restraint, as befitted his status as a sometime creature of the air, he soon grew restless.
he decided Big Duck needed a bit closer supervision.
I told Little Duck smoking would stunt his growth, but he never listens to me.
I finally hid his tobacco and papers, but I didn’t bother to hide this bottle because I knew he couldn’t reach it anyway. But he outsmarted me. Big Duck scorns in the dark background.
So, Little Duck decided to explore a bit. The recumbent nude bronze seemed to him like a pony ride created just for him.
Now and then, his attention would be diverted by the need for a little liquid refreshment from Big Duck’s cup, …
When Big Duck retreated to find a little solitude to practice his guitar, Little Duck had a front row seat–to Big Duck’s back.

You’ve seen these photos before in numerous posts about Little Duck. This is a blend of a number of his different adventures. 

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Non-Alive Animals