SUNRING

SUNRING

When you walk on grassy field

Ope’ your eyes and keep them peeled,

For Sunring golden may you find.

Angels came from Heaven high

To walk on fields with joy, so spry,

Bringing joy and love, mankind!

O, Sunring gold; O, Sunring round

Mine is good luck, fortune, found!

NJV

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PLUM BLOSSOM

ODE TO THE PLUM BLOSSOM

Outside the post-house, beside the broken bridge,
Alone, deserted, a flower blooms.
Saddened by her solitude in the falling dusk,
She is now assailed by wind and rain.
Let other flowers be envious!
She craves not Spring for herself alone.
Her petals may be ground in the mud,
But her fragrance will endure.

Lu Yu (733–804 AD)

The first plum blossoms are blooming in Melbourne.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

SUMMERFIELD

Summerfield

On a perfect Summer's day
Walking on a fresh green field,
Making memories warm and bright
For a cold and dismal Winter's night.

On a Summerfield my merry fay,
With a kiss a promise sealed:
Lips that savoured cool sweet wine, 
Now in Winter's tears taste brine.

Oh to be in Summerfield again,
'Neath blue sky on verdant grass,
Clasping hands and heart alight
How we'd love, all sense delight...

But instead in Winter's bane
I look in frozen looking glass:
Wrinkles, white hair, all decline,
And for Summerfield I long and pine.

NJV

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme,
and also part of the Weekend Green meme.

RED, RED ROSE

A Red, Red Rose

My love is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June :

My love is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in love am I :

And I will love thee still, my dear,

Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun :

And I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee well, my only love,

And fare thee well a while !

And I will come again, my love,

Thou’ it were ten thousand mile.

Robert Burns

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

LAMB

"Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school..."

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

THE ZOO

A cycle of ABC WEDNESDAY ends and a new one begins. I hope you've enjoyed my ABC animals poems. Here is the last one in the series:

The Zoo

A stroll we’ve taken through the zoo
And met some beasts inside;
Some moo, some mew, and others coo,
We’ve learnt lots from the guide.

The furry ones, the slimy sleek,
The black, the white, the coloured,
The large, the small, the brave the meek,
The sly, the good, the dullard.

Amongst them all, we humans think
Masters we are, and betters –
Animals keep us in the pink,
While them we tie in fetters.

We take their eggs, and drink their milk,
We wear their fur and leather;
We rob their rennet, seize their silk
We swipe their hide and feather.

We garner blood and roe, and bone,
Honey, manure and shellac;
Whales we dispatch, race horses roan
Despoil the pig, and loot the yak.

And if that all was not enough,
We hunt for sport, for pleasure…
We kill, we maim we play it tough
All for few hours of leisure.

Now we are bent on wrecking Earth,
Destroying both fauna, flora;
When all is lost we’ll see its worth,
Our fate that of Pandora.

So let’s hold on to hope, my dear,
Let’s do something together:
Save bear and boar, and duck and deer,
Our boundless folly tether.

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

YAK AND YETI

Yak and Yeti

Up in the cold, cold Himalayas
Live lots of strange lumbering animals
And many nice people, (no cannibals),
Who don’t like to eat jambalayas.

Yaks are such dignified, noble beasts,
Who wander on the high, grass plateaux;
They grunt, rather than call, moo or low
And on fresh green turf they have feasts.

Yaks are so very useful and neat,
They donate so much and they live long;
Bovine and furry, sturdy and strong
They give humans their fur, milk and meat.

The yeti, supposedly, is a grim brute
Who stalks mountaineers quite astute;
“Abominable” though he may be named,
Treat him kindly and he’ll become tamed.

Poor yeti is so much misconstrued,
And his character slurs has accrued;
All he wants is a pet and a stroke
And his grateful wide grin you’ll evoke.

Both yeti and yak are fine fauna
They live simply and desire no sauna;
They do not build villas, nor drive hot rods
Content are they on the mount of the gods.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

THE WALRUS

The Walrus

The walrus lolls on icy shores

Of Arctic oceans frigid;

He barks then naps, and dreams and snores

How calm he looks, so rigid!

The walrus turns and smiles and drools,

He seems oddly familiar;

Could it be John, or Dick or Jules,

No, no, he’s too peculiar…

The walrus wakes and yawns and bleats,

And stares directly at me;

He nibbles crabs, and clams he eats

But he refuses chutney…

The walrus waits and then he goes

And dives quite deeply seaward;

In icy waters that are froze

He likes to gambol leeward.

Enjoy the ice while there, my friend,

For quickly it is melting,

Your home’s cool ease will shortly end
As we give Earth a belting...

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Poets United Midweek Motif.

THE VULTURE

The Vulture

The vulture soars and surveys all,
The largest beast, as well as small;
The vulture looks for dead, red meat
For him live game is not a treat.

To scavenge and to pick a carcass clean
For vultures is a joy too keen;
They eat the dead and neaten up
Reuse, recycle, and so they sup.

We humans could perhaps a lesson learn
From vultures whom we hate and spurn:
Waste not, clean up, leftovers use
Environment, home, do not abuse.

We live on a small planet frail,
With scant resources that will fail;
Value each precious thing the earth
Us gives: Waste leads to woe and dearth.

The vulture soars and surveys all,
The largest beast, as well as small;
Creation’s marvels he esteems
And happy are his sleep and dreams.

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

THE UAKARI

The Uákari

Uákari, my pet, my pup
You really need to act,
With such delightful makeup
Success is yours, in fact.

You’ll dance and prance
You’ll ape, pose, mimic,
On merit only you’ll advance
No need have you of gimmick.

Uákari, my doll, my dear,
Go on the stage, and play!
No qualm, no doubt, no fear
You’ll wow them all on Broadway.

You’ll be a star, you’ll be a hit
And Oscars you’ll attract;
All will applaud, and will admit:
“That monkey sure can act!”

This post is part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

THE TIGER

The Tiger

The tiger striped ’s a grand old sight
In the jungle, golden bright:
“Tiger, linger here a while
Let me see you grin and smile…”

“Foolish child, leave, don’t get me riled
Don’t you know a tiger’s savage, wild?”
And the animal withdrew
With adroitness it shot through.

“Tiger, dear, why are you in such haste,
Stay, for you cannot be replaced.”
And the child did so hard plead
That the beast returned to feed…

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

THE SNAKE

The Snake

The sinuous snake, it slithers, slides
It rises up and rears and will go: “Hissssss!”
With elegance and with such grace it glides,
Like dancer, or a prim young missssss…

Yet many there are, who serpents detest,
And snakes will often get bad pressssss;
O slippery beast, you are no pest,
Snake, your poor image must you adressssss.

The snake serves well in nature’s wise design –
Without him who to blame for Eden’s lossssss?
What would Cleopatra do to meet her deadline?
How outer space would Little Prince crossssss?

A snake is friendly, a serpent’s kind,
One bite and one is dead without much fussssss…
But if we let it play its other roles assigned,
It will do so merrily, and not bother ussssss.

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

RABBITS & RATS

Rabbits and Rats

Vermin is such an ugly word
Often inelegantly applied:
But rodents, rats and rabbits furred
Justly in such category reside.

Rabbits run riot, ruin the land of Oz,
Their presence here we hate, deplore;
Rats, mice and rodents in their little paws
Carry disease and germs galore.

Oh, rabbit, how you pullulate and throng,
With mien so meek and cute and mild…
And yet in Oz you don’t belong
Destroying our plants, ousting fauna wild.

Oh, rat, you wretched gnawing beast,
With beady eyes and long tail sleek,
On our provisions do you fete and feast
Then happily you scurry, hide and squeak.

And yet such vermin do we keep as pets,
Rats, mice and rabbits and such pests;
Everyone loves and fondles and forgets
That such cute animals are unwelcome guests…

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

QUOKKA & QUOLL

The Quokka and the Quoll

“G’day, my cobber, digger, pal,”
Quoll to the quokka quoth;
“How’s tricks, how goes morale?”

The quokka glumly looked
And spoke a quiet oath:
“@$#&, mate our goose is cooked,

You know, it’s such hard work
Being a critter sad
In the ‘endangered’ cirque…”

The quoll, he nodded and agreed;
With his forlorn comrade
He had no choice but to concede:

“Our time in Oz has been and gone

Now all is gone, all’s lost.

Exeunt we from this tragic scene!

At least while going out, let’s have a ball,

Enjoy ourselves at any cost

Revelling in our last days, not to bawl…”

                 *** (Exeunt)***

Let’s wave goodbye to quoll and quokka now

For soon they too shall be long-gone, extinct;

Too bad they’re not as useful as a cow,
For then they'd have privileges distinct...

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

POLLY POSSUM OF PARKVILLE

The Prancing Possum

There was an old possum of Parkville
Who wanted to go into vaudeville:
She dressed up in satin
Learned to dance Latin,
But failed to audition, she was ill…

Our possum didn’t give up, persisted,
And all her willpower she enlisted,
Gulped her antibiotics
Ate her macrobiotics
And to go on stage she insisted!

Polly the possum became famous
Packed all her bags, now she’s in Vegas:
She shimmies and dances,
She prances, romances,
And ne’er does she run out of gas.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

OKAPIS & OCELOTS

The Okapi and the Ocelot

Okapis live in Africa
And striped pajamas wear;
They will not roam in Attica
Don’t have enough airfare.

Their diet green and vegetal,
Their lot alone, forlorn;
It’s only when they’re marital
That others they don’t scorn.

Giraffes they have for cousins
And they will roam all day,
Nibbling leaves in dozens
With long black tongue in sway.

Ocelots live in America
And spotty fur they don;
At night their esoterica
They studiously will con.

They are meat eaters avid,
In social skills not lacking:
With kittens female gravid,
Will have dad’s solid backing.

Their relatives are leopards,
Lions and panthers too;
But not the German shepherds
Nor ewe, nor gnu nor shrew.

Okapis don’t meet ocelots
And just as well maybe,
For stripes will clash with spots
You see, and the two don’t agree.

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

NEWT & NUMBAT

The Numbat and the Newt

The numbat knew the newt was rare,
But not as rare as he.
The two were an unlucky pair
Their numbers few to see.

With climate change and warming too,
Their habitats were shrinking;
The blights of foul pollution do
Poison all unblinking.

“Oh Newt, my friend, how shall we live,
Now that the planet’s dying?
The humans I will not forgive,
For they are horrifying.”

“I know, dear Ned, our lot is sad
Our future bleak and sorry;
But humans will have ends so bad
That they should fret and worry.”

“Tis true, we may with whimpers end,
And our kinds slowly vanish;
But they to hell will all descend
A big bang their lives will banish.”

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

MANATEES & MERMAIDS

The Manatee

The manatee’s a mammal,
In seas and rivers swimming;
It’s neither cow, nor camel,
The waters, rather, skimming.

The poor old beast is ugly,
Fat, heavy, wrinkled, tubby…
Yet smiles and giggles smugly
As it thinks: “Pretty’s chubby.”

When tars of old espied
Manatees on the shore sunning,
“Mermaids, we see!” they cried,
“Beauties of blue sea! Stunning!”

The manatee’s not fat, nor ugly,
Just Rubenesque, I think.
And mermaids rather fugly
As they swim, dive and sink.

And as for myopic sailors
Who saw in them sirens fair,
Too long were they in whalers,
Too long without women were…

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

LIONEL THE LION

Lionel the Lion

There was a Libyan lion,
(Yes, Lionel was his name),
Who was the hopeful scion
Of family of great fame.

He lingered by the lakeside
Lunching on tender lamb,
(And tears of pity cried
Because he hated Spam).

Lionel was a clement lion
With such a heart of gold,
But when it came luncheon
His taste, refined and bold.

Beware of kind-hearted foodies
Who will devour meats
While saying that such goodies
Are vegetarian treats.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

KANGAROO & KOALA

Ken the Kangaroo

Ken was a clever kangaroo
Who lived a life of leisure,
He didn’t have a thing to do,
Just hopped about with pleasure.

Kathy Koala was his friend
But she was stressed and worried;
She fussed and grumbled without end
And generally was flurried…

The two were ever quibbling
About what to do together –
Ken wanted songs and fiddling,
Kathy to work forever.

So Ken just hopped and skipped along
While Kathy always laboured,
Neither was she right nor was he wrong,
They each their lifestyle savoured.

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of theWordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.