How can starlings make such lovely patterns up on high,
those ever changing movements as they weave across the sky.
Although they move from side to side,
and swoop and glide and dive, even in the fiercest wind.
They just never collide.
Who navigates for flocks of geese,
who head for warmer climes.
Who keeps them flying up aloft
they must get tired at times,
To travel over a thousand miles,
must take all their heart and soul.
They must flap their wings,
a billion times before they reach their goal.
What inspires the salmon to make their trips upstream,
against all of the adversities its strange in the extreme.
Is the urge to face such hardships programmed in their d.n.a.
a biological compass meant to guide them on their way.
Why is it that lemmings seem exempt from nature’s law,
they’ve no survival instinct nought on which to draw.
They make a beeline for the cliff and commit mass suicide,
there seems no rhyme or reason all logic seems defied.
How do dolphins communicate with each other ‘neath the sea,
and understand the signs from humans and show such empathy.
Their clever use of echoed sound that helps them hunt their prey,
and perform some really clever tricks with humans on the way.
Author notes
JUDMC Option 7 (bird related) gubernatorial
A contest entry
- Amazing Wild Animals (wild animals series 1 of 5 contests) by .
500 points, ended April 29, 2008, 5 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Choices Contest - Big Points Available by Yunalonei.
800 points, ended August 26, 2008, 23 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - The Natural World: In Honor of AsIThink by hawkeslake.
1050 points, ended January 3, 16 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 13 of 13
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Just superb and question which will always be asked as the generations go on. There is nothing more fascinating than the animal kingdom doing its thing. You have captured the whole essence of this contest and i wish you the best of luck.
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I have asked the questions you've posed as have many. A world of wonder and filled with more questions than we seem to have adequate answers for (even given our most 'prize-winning' efforts). I enjoyed the reflections here.
AsIThink...
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Your questions are beautifully designed conundrums in our natural world; I don't know if we will ever have answers! Thank your for entering.
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Lemmings throwing themselves off a cliff. Suicide clusters. Nice.
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This is another really wonderful and informative poem. thanks for sharing it in my contest and congrats on your cups.
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Beautiful
This is a beautiful poem.
I loved the flow and feel of it.
It is very simila to a poem i wrote, i use the same idea of questions to tell a story and express imagery in an amazed way.
Great write and good luck in the contest
One question though What does JUDMC mean? -
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Yunalonei
Many Thanks for your kind comments on "Wild Life" so glad
you liked it.For some unaccountable reason I am asked quite
often what "JUDMC" stands for well here goes.Jud is a family pet name short for George in England and "MC" is an abbrieviation for Mckenzie,so now you know Best Wishes
George ++++
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A delightful read! I enjoyed the rhyme and the vigorous flow of questions here about nature. Thanks for entering.
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Wow. Amazing.
Good luck in my contest!
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As a parable I can certainly see man in this. Not sure you intended it as personifications of man but if not, it does still work. Who knows why we or animals do what we do, sometimes there may be deeper laws that they and us follow.
Thanks for entering the contest.
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There are so many wonders and mysteries in this lovely world, and you have pointed out several charmingly. Very nice rhyme. You have presented interesting and intriguing thoughts with beauty!
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Congratulations on winning Bronze, a worthy poem indeed.
Excellent rhyme, a poem full of interesting information.
Katie
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great write..good luck in the contest george..xxx
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