The Mammals: Parts I-VII

I: The Marsupial Oliver Opossum poked his nose out through the leafy pile Seeing that the distance to his target was not far Through the neatly tended lawn, he crept along in silent guile To the waste facility and found the door ajar This convenient reservoir of items for his family's need Bordered on the hinterland where he'd made his abode Chutes and seeds and crumbs of pie crust, on which kin would happily feed Swelled the shell of cast off plastic where they smartly stowed In the dark of shift's conclusion, his strong sniffer was his best guide To the mound of bloated pouches holding what he sought Chewing through the outer layer to reduce some weight was best tried If he wanted long to manage with the load he brought Once he had a bit securely clenched between his diligent jaws He proceeded dragging his prize back the way he came There would not be time to snack or even for the slenderest pause On the way to finalizing his illicit claim Suddenly the animal was by electric light bulbs struck dumb And the watchman's accusation calling him a rat Oliver held both his hands up, each complete with fingers and thumb As to his identity's proof, certain that was that By the truncheon hurtling towards him with a murderous force Accurate enough to make him duck his wily head Oliver instinctively employed the threatened possum's recourse Flipping himself over and pretending to be dead His attacker was about to scoop his body with a spade blade When the rustle of another burglar caught his ear Soon as in the open, the opossum his express escape made Functioning on stimulants injected by his fear Homeward to his warm dependants, with his catch in tow behind him He began the journey up a rugged sloping hill With the eager cry of his impatient mate to rise and find him Telling him of bellies that demanded he should fill II: The Rodent Marvin was a mountain marmot, working on an excavation High in the exclusive reaches of a rocky pass With the autumn colours drew the hour of his hibernation Deep beneath a surface frozen in a sheet of glass He had had a lucky year, discovering a patch of flowers Following the flight path of a knowledgable crow With his yellow underside turned upward, he had passed the hours Hunger pangs alleviated, nowhere else to go Now with plenty of provisions and his faith restored by sunlight Resolutely, he displaced the soil from his spot Checking edges for a defect to make sure the job was done right In the digging out of a secure and cozy plot Halfway down, he struck a solid layer giving stiff resistance Forcing him to fiercely pull, in order to remove Stubbornly the boulders came out, one by one, for his persistence As his bothersome condition slowly would improve Driven chiefly by a snout that wasn't fashioned for detecting What distinguished precious metal from a common stone He let ore accumulate until he had a heap reflecting Out from the locality of where he worked alone Once the sun began to lower, having made a deep impression Tired, he retired to his cottage made of sticks And before too long, he had to lethargy made his concession Lost within the drama of imaginary flicks Through the cracks in Marvin's flimsy barricade, the dawn broke slowly Finally compelling him to open up his eyes Though a bit stiff from his labours, on his goal he focussed wholly Getting up and running through his morning exercise He retraced his footsteps as they led directly to the work site But there was an ending to the path that he had worn Climbing to the limit of the once proud mountain's less than full height With the vast remainder having been completely shorn III: The Carnivore At the close of mating season, some keep cool their disposition None more so than creatures in the tough and frigid zones For the canny Alex Fox, companionship was still his mission Someone to play tug with him and help him warm his bones Alex had a pretty sheen that caught the eye of Margarita As he circled round her with primordial intent From afar she looked all right, though quite impossible to read her Outside the allure of her intoxicating scent He pretended he had come to sniff along a nearby cluster Nodding unaffectedly as he paraded by His detachment took from him the strongest will that he could muster Of his passion's resolution, tormentingly shy Margarita needed proof to feel more sure about his fitness Though his presentation at the moment ranked the best Feats of daring and of skill it was her privilege to witness By submitting Alex to a formidable test They went to a murky hole where she had dropped a tasty morsel Whose imposing mouth was too constricting for her grasp Wishing to appear to her as of the two the more resourceful He poked in his forepaw and attempted it to clasp His paw came out mushy from his contact with a mother's payload Good enough for both of them to share a sweeping lick To another grab for glory, obvious and clear the way showed And he'd gladly practice such a profitable trick Snow White Stork descended on them, mother's fury coming straight out Screeching like a banshee with her feathers all erect But with mediocre effort, the attack fell to a clean rout Alex after sustenance, not merely to protect After a delicious supper, they went off into the sunset Headed for a pair-bond of at least a fleeting bliss Solace from the wild would the roaming two be happy to get Previous abandonment a thing they would not miss IV: The Bat Sleekly built, Nathaniel Bat transcended at the acrobatic Steering through the twists and turns of his expansive cave With his clever sound detection, forward flight was automatic And advantage in the dark against intruders gave Through the day he hung with a battalion of committed holdouts In firm opposition to conventional routine To the common schedule there were no disagreements nor doubts As they shared the sleepy hours of the great unseen Buzzing swarms of flying insects hiding under nighttime's cover They would face and focus on until the sky was clear Once together airborne, they would travel to the swamp and hover Poised to dive on passers-by as soon as they flew near Evening fell and sent them marching to their places on the runway Then in line behind the leader, to the sky they took Navigating with a pulse to keep them all directed one way And receive of airspace an illuminating look To their vision, moon beams on the trail before them were sufficient Flight conditions seemed to be acceptably sedate At detecting their objective they were able and efficient As a gang of fireflies were doomed to learn too late In a swoop, the glowing specks would vanish from the dusky skyline Bats on the offensive in a tactical campaign Having caught a soft formation on which they could easily dine And at least their store of fuel evenly sustain Storm clouds flared up without warning, drifting on a deadly crash course In the thrill of triumph had Nathaniel failed to see Deafened by reverberations, his communications grew hoarse As he veered away from his companions helplessly In the branches he retreated, wary of the crocodile Presently the din subsided, letting him alight Though to get himself back on the proper track would take a while He would spiral home before the closing of the night V: The Whale Ultra was enlightened in the discipline of locomotion Streamlined for the smoothest path through channels undersea Lengthening her string of arching breaches out across the ocean Worthier performances by swimmers few could be In the sheer Antarctic regions, fish and game were in abundance Shielded from exploiters by a climate harsh and cold To the model continent she paddled onward in accordance With instructions from a far-off voice that she'd been told It was of her grandfather beseeching her to join a meeting With the leading citizens of the assembly In their condemnation of the upright the debate was heating Since the trawlers started decimating openly They were thick and poorly cultured, terminally unreceptive Militant barbarians with ruin as their aim Up against their heavy hulls, offensives would be ineffective And in the retreat to a secluded shore no shame He received her warmly to his quaint marine life sanctuary Holding out both fins for a congenial embrace Cumbersome obstructions of construction would be temporary Transportation systems from a wilderness to trace Many had assembled in the shallow inlet's calm confinement To hear her progenitor articulate his plea All unfolded with an eye to elegance and pure refinement Culminating in a seal hunt of ferocity Mercilessly they assaulted, tearing pups away from mothers Flinging prey adroitly into fellow hunter's gob They slew half a herd at once and chased for sport the frightened others Rendering of massacre a comprehensive job Appetite appeased, there was the need to rinse the stain of slaughter Off of Ultra's gum line and about her rosy cheek In the cleansing currents of the offshore's vast and open water Her cosmetic remedy she set about to seek VI: The Bovine Gorging on a luscious pasture, Gladys tended to her function Which she understood was to excessively consume For her selfish occupation she had not the least compunction Thinking natural the life of leisure to assume As the seasons passed between productive chomps and peaceful slumbers Never did the thought of a rebellion cross her mind Even though her herd surpassed her captor by uncounted numbers To sustain their dull routine her kind were more inclined Like a conscientious heifer, she'd allowed her use for breeding Finding it more civilized to keep it in a pen But no offspring from the most concerted try had been proceeding Solely pledged to her ingesting had she been since then Hewing sprawling swaths of field to show her durable devotion As a grazer her achievement stood out from afar When it caught the notice of the higher-ups for her promotion They arranged her travel by a crowded cattle car From a gaping slot she could enjoy the view of weeks of wander Launched in a procession past her stationary stall Grandiose depictions of her future she was free to ponder From her self-made pedestal, permitted hard to fall At the railway's destination was a futuristic compound Boasting long hydraulic belts to further labours spare Though to turn from her direction was a choice distinctly unsound Standing on a stretch of ribbon, straddling thin air Through an open aperture, upon a ghastly sight she stumbled Hanging from remorseless hooks on harrowing display Suddenly her fuzzy dream of an enchanted grassland crumbled Followed by an overwhelming shudder of dismay But her barren womb was irresistible to the researcher Whose good method to correct would fruitfully bestow She soon had a busy litter of her very own to nurture Trepidation smothered by a fond maternal glow VII: The Equine Shooting Star received the spotlight as an up and coming racehorse Swimming in the ceremonies, flashing trophies new From among the thoroughbreds the most outstanding on the racecourse Crowds of loyal followers around his triumphs grew To the summit of performance, gliding strides accelerated Through the warnings of exhaustion ringing in his head His expenditure was less a number to be calculated Than the passion that was present in his heart instead His best friend, Bernice, amid his swirling stardom, was an anchor Keeping him in comfort and untangling his hair With athletic victories it seemed she wanted him to thank her Of her expectations he acutely was aware The young daughter of his owner, she'd been with him from the outset On their pure relationship he faithfully relied Application of his races' outcomes as a confident bet Had to plush enhancements of their living been applied On the way to occupy the season's hinging start position He could see Bernice upon another horse's back And the loss of trust on which had rested his supreme volition From his normal soaring aims, had knocked him clear off-track Once the gates were flung ajar, he flitted out with feigned commitment Of the thumping cluster, keeping passively behind Sinking to the bottom of his paralyzing disappointment Victory the last thing on his deeply troubled mind When he saw Bernice dismount to greet him at the course conclusion With the rival having merely done an honest deed Purpose was restored to bring his energy a huge infusion Carrying him off in an amazing burst of speed From the outside lane he streaked ahead to turn the closing corner Finishing decisively in front of any peer By Bernice's guidance he ascended to the place of honour Where he faced a multitude and listened to them cheer (to be continued)
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© 2007, 2016. Verses by David Skerkowski. All rights reserved.