ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

An Unexpected Emperor

Stephen Whiteside 23.06.11

"An emperor penguin has taken a wrong turn from the Antarctic and ended up on a beach in New Zealand." (ABC News, 23.06.11)

The water's decidedly warm.
Hey, where are the rest of my friends?
Perhaps it was back in that storm.
Did I just take in too many bends?

This ice is decidedly odd.
It is soft. It is warm. It is yellow;
A decidedly solit'ry bod,
I'm a quite unaccompanied fellow.

No seals. No whales. No krill,
Just a woman out walking her dog.
I guess I'll give her quite a thrill.
She'll think her mind's missing a cog.

I'm only a juvenile creature.
I'm terribly tempted to cry.
I'm missing a really good teacher.
I wish I could take to the sky,

But I can't, so it's back in the water -
A long southward journey for me,
And a hope, as a 'prodigal daughter',
A warm welcome waits there for me;

A warm welcome icy and freezing,
And then I'll feel bouncy and bold.
For the cooler it is, the more pleasing.
This burning hot sand leaves me cold.

So wish me good luck! for my travels,
A journey quite lacking in strife.
Adieu to your sands and your gravels.
Bonjour to the warm icy life!

He/she looked so sad and forlorn standing on the NZ beach all alone - hope he/ she finds the family again....having said that the penguin is probably Male a female would have asked for directions

Great poem Stephen - I like it.

Cheers

Maureen

Awwwwwww, the poor thing!!!! I didn't see her on tv, but hope she gets home!!
Enjoyed your poem though.

Catchya
IRene

Great poem Stephen,saw that story on the news, just wondered if he too was avoiding the chillean ash cloud !!!!!
Sue

Maureen, Irene and Sue - thank you for your kind comments. I've been saying it for a while now. Women and children like my poems best.

Hmm. I'd better get in first. Maybe women are just more polite than men!

Of course women are more polite than men, Stephen - we have tact!!!
Nah, it's really just that we have better taste than the men!!!

Catchya
IRene

Sorry Stephen did nothing for me .


But said with feeling

Bob

Ok I'm gonna ave a go at a poem about a little cuddly lamb that grows up and then gets shipped to Indonesia for a stunning holiday ?


Girls should like that hey.

Heather is off air for two weeks yahoo !!!!


Bob