“The Florida Panther like this Florida poet represents an endangered species that is patiently existing in a landscape where incomprehensible economic prosperity seems to take precedence over shared perceptual experience.”
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Added poem to enhance contemplation ...
Extinction ...
Sleekly, the panther did pace there,
in his usual mode.
Scared - by each car that made haste there
but wanting to just cross the road.
Waiting - he seemed to brace up there,
At last he felt he could race there,
Struck by a truck now he’s waste there!
An extinction episode ...
© 2008 Joy A. Burki-Watson
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Author notes
I'm unable to add my avatar so I will link you to my comment page:
http://allpoetry.com/comment/by/waydownuponjoy
A contest entry
- Show Off Your Avatar! by Kari.
950 points, ended October 18, 2008, 18 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
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Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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I love animals a lot. Thanks so much for sharing
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Wonderful Poetry / Sad Message
This affected me emotionally. I love animals.
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I knew the Florida cougar was rare - as it is in most of eastern North America. Your poem applies not only to this species, but more widely to wildlife, and any(one) who stands in the way of "progress".
The form is interesting, you made it work.
Good luck!
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Ah, so that explains the big cat as your avatar. Well, sort of.
Since it seemed important I did a little research om the panther. I found a reference to the panther in Florida, speculation as to whether that is indeed what it is, etc. That is quite intriguing, because it puts your poem in an interesting light...shedding light on your opening prose.
I can only guess Florida isn't home to you, just merely where you live, though maybe I'm reading too literally and your feelings of being out of place is merely a psychological one. But that is the intrigue of the piece.
"but wanting to just cross the road."
I am of course unable to know to what depth this applies, but it's clear there this morass that prevents the speaker of this poem from doing the most simple of things...symbol of freedom maybe, that road I mean. If that is it, how sad, for freedom ends badly...and we should all be free (in whatever mode we choose that to be.)
"At last he felt he could race there,"
If this is personal, I can commiserate to some extent, I've never really dodged the cars in my life, not as I assumed I would.
And if it's just a tale of a panther getting hit by a car...ignore all that I just wrote.
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I just adore a commenter ...
that reads a statement/poem with the mindset of questioning and then goes on to share that personal adventure like you do ! Your style of commenting allows this writer to re-view not only my thoughts but to also to see where my 'word' vehicle took you! I should think that if I wanted to re-steer your perception of me (true Florida native, by the way!) I would ask you to reconsider
the word 'he' in the poem and perhaps you'll find another hill to climb! Thanks as always ... j
y
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Ah thanks, so it's bot biographical. I guess I should have noticed that cue, but I know I sometimes throw folk off by changing sexes, well, you know what I mean, lol
I think it was the prologue. I've fallen into that mindset before and I know better...but that is the laziness of the reader, we grab early cues and accept them for the whole, and I know better too.
Still, being "he" doesn't necessarily exclude you...well, not until you say it does.
I like hills, climbing is fun. And I appreciate when poets don't mind I do so. Some get irritated, want brief comments, and nothing that shows my feelings, which is odd but who am I to tell them what they should want. I like when people engage in the things I write, especially the fiction, if they agree, disagree, have suggestions or just want to explain how it reads to them...thanks, because it gets rather boring not having a say in what I read. That's the whole point of reading, to enjoy the work to the fullest we can.
Anyway...maybe the extinction is more general...of a type, and not an individual. Like, or inability to adapt to that change you wrote about recently.
Feel free to just put a highway right through that hill for me. I mean, tell me the meaning.
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