More Nature Studies
I met a man who told
me that
He had a pet, a
vampire bat.
He called it Horace
and, he said,
It perched at night
upon his bed.
I thought of him as
days went by
Then wrote him. He
didn't reply.
The Condor through
the Andes swoops
Performing barrel
rolls and loops.
Alas, each aerobatic
trick
Makes the poor Condor
very sick.
Meanwhile the
watching natives ponder
What is the fun in
being a Condor?
It is not difficult
to see
Some virtue in the
chimpanzee.
I always thought, and
think so still,
How much it looks
like Auntie Lil.
I ought to make my
meaning clear
The frontal aspect
not the rear.
High in the sky the
vultures wheel
Alert to spot the
next free meal.
I wonder how the
vultures tell
That one is feeling
not to well.
Why take a chance? I
will instead
Retire indoors and go
to bed.
By - Joe Pamanian
Banana Zoo
Should you behold
Banana Zoo
you're sure of a big
surprise
for there you'll see
Ken Kangaroo
with odd-shaped,
kaleidoscope eyes
and Terry the Tapir
and Gerald Giraffe
showin' off their
skills as dowsers
and Sid the Zookeeper
with a halibut scarf
and goldfishes pinned
to his trousers.
There's Venomous
Vince, the variegated viper,
pole vaultin' in
one-legged jeans
and Peccary Pete the
porcine sniper
with his blowpipe and
haricot beans.
there's Gertie the
Gibbon and Maureen Macaque
solicitin' in
suspenders and bras,
and Lewis the Lion
who diets on wrack
and keeps turquoise
tadpoles in jars.
And should you get
stuck in Banana Zoo,
where the purple
striped Aardvark
plays skiffle,
I know a good shrink
who will help pull
you through,
for there's no such
place
-it's piffle!
By - Ephraim Crud

Young At Heart
Another birthday
over, yet I don't feel old,
And I don't look my age, so I'm told.
No grey hairs yet, no wrinkles, no lines,
A few pounds too heavy, but I don't mind.
My memory is still
good, sharp as a pin,
My eyes are okay, no need to complain.
I still have my humor, a little sarcasm and wit,
Though my response is slower, I must admit.
A few aches and
pains, here and there,
More sagging than uplift, but I don't care.
My attitude is positive most of the time,
Optimistic even, is my state of mind.
I can stay out till
dawn, dance the night away,
Though I pay a high price, the next day.
I can still turn heads, a whistle here and there,
Walk tall and proud without a care.
Growing old is
something we all face,
And society tells us to do it with grace.
But something I heard, stuck in my head,
"stuff society, you're a long time dead".
By - Carol
Prince
Wondrous Things
Haalox and nose drops
and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts
and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets,
and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused
brains, and no fear of sinnin,
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinin,
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache,
when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Telling Tales
At times I have to
tell a tale,
Some call it just a
lie.
But I still say it's
just a tale,
And that I won't
deny.
They say that lies
come in two colors,
Some are white or
black.
Now I prefer to think
that tales
Are gray, and that's
a fact.
I tell a tale, the
truth I hold,
Your feelings I must
spare.
I cannot be so rude
to you,
Because I really
care.
You ask me if I think
your boy
Is cute as he can be.
I tell a tale, and
say, "He is,"
And watch you jump
for glee.
You ask me how I like
your hair,
GROSS just comes to
mind.
A tale I tell, a big
one too,
And say, "It
looks just fine."
You tell me that
you've learned to bake
A brand new recipe.
I take a bite, it's
no delight;
I'm dying can't you
see.
It's then you ask me
what I think,
I tell you that it's
great.
Another tale I've
told, but wish
I could regurgitate.
We drive to see your
brand new house
You know that I'll
admire.
I take one look, and
then I'm sure
I'd set the thing
afire.
I cannot always tell
the truth,
A tale I must decree;
For if I told you how
I felt-
Friends we'd never
be.
By - Ray Thigpen
Manimal
I'd like to be a
dolphin
and swim in open
seas,
I'd like be a bear
and steal honey from
the bees,
I'd like to be a
highland stag
upon the mountain
top,
I'd like to be a
kangaroo
just so I could hop.
I'd like to be a
rabbit
and dig a great big
hole,
I'd like to be a
little fish
swimming in a shoal,
I'd like to be a cat,
all curled up on the
bed,
I'd love to be a
seagull,
I'd crap on someone's
head!
By - James McDougall
The Cynic
I don’t believe in
Santa Claus - he’s fiction
The Easter Bunny
never did exist
A lucky star is
purely contradiction
A Prince is not a
frog who has been kissed.
No bridge has ever had
a bad troll under
Some Princess never
slept for thirty years
No ogres ever ripped
a town asunder
At Halloween no
wicked witch appears.
The Yeti isn’t big or
real or hairy
Strange UFOs have
never came to Earth
The garden hasn’t elf
or nymph or fairy
A Phoenix never rises
in rebirth.
If Peter Pan existed
he was stupid
I reckon he was just
a teenage punk
And don’t you try and
tell me there’s a Cupid
It’s only
love-starved fools believe that junk.
I’ve never seen a
ghost - there’s no hereafter,
You can’t tell me the
Bogeyman is real
Those tales of magic
carpets bring me laughter
No vampire ever made
a neck a meal.
There’s no such thing
as pixies - they’re all phony
The monster in the
wardrobe is a fake
Your birthday wish is
nonsense - pure baloney
They’re simply stupid
candles on a cake.
I’ve never once
believed in myth or magic
I will not credit
something till I’m shown
My marriage (there
were three) all ended tragic
And now I live
reality alone.
Your happiness is all
hallucination
It’s just a silly
fairy tale you feel
Without a grain of
proof or confirmation
I wonder why you
think that love is real.
By – Graeme King