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Recently we hosted a contest at www.allpoetry.com/poet/peacechain. The contest was for educational and interesting poems,
which would teach the reader about flora or fauna. The contest was a success and received many entries. some of the poems
are reproduced here with the permission of the poets.
Contest Page
PLEASE GIVE ME A KISS
For My Grandchildren
Give me a kiss and I'll tell you a tale
Of butterfly wings that flutter and sail
They tumble and twist, but when they are still
They make your heart throb at the wonder and thrill
So dainty and light, they are swept by the wind
It's so hard to imagine the strength from within
How in the world do they manage to go
On a round trip vacation to old Mexico?
We think we invented all manner of flight
But we're awed and appalled at the butterfly's might
Give me a kiss and I'll tell you a tale
About the impossible feats of a whale
He spews out a fountain of mystical mist
And speaks with a whale-like linguistical twist
Like rocket he suddenly propels from the sea
Laborious and glorious, victoriously fee
He dapperly dives to the deep , darkest depths
Maintaining his grace, and sustaining his breath
We think that we've conquered the oceans we sail
Still confused and bemused by the cues of a whale
Give me a kiss and we'll speak of a bird
Who sings the most beautiful song ever heard
From a tropical palm tree the Sabia sings
His music is honored by poets and kings
His melodies tease and pleasantly please
As they float over rivers and rain forest trees
They enrich and bewitch other birds all around
Who are lured to his tree by the musical sound
We think we produce the best music by far
But the Sabia laughs at our poor repertoire
Come give me a hug and a kiss and we'll look
At butterfly wings in your butterfly book
Come here to Grandma, I'll tell you some tales
We'll ponder the wonders of wonderful whales
We'll try to imagine the Sabia's song
That enraptured and captured his world all along
Come give me a kiss, It's time now for bed
Let butterflies tumble and twirl in your head
Grab on to a whale
Swim into the deep
Let the Sabia's music
Put you
to sleep
All rights reserved, © Cinara
The Leatherback
As I drift here, dying,
My mind rambles along remembered paths:
The path from the coast to the ocean,
The journey of three thousand miles
That led me here.
And here is where my journey ends.
My life's passage commenced
Upon the hot sand of the Earth.
One hundred and twenty siblings crawled together
Across the perilous shore.
Half of my kin never felt the cool breath of water
On their carapace.
They were doomed instead
For hungry beaks.
The rest of us savoured
The cool waters of indigo.
But fewer than twenty survived
To see the wide expanse of ocean,
For ravenous sharks waited with lethal jaws.
We separated and drifted to our own destinies,
Hopeful of each other's survival.
But I have heard of their deaths
Upon the tangled lines of man.
Alone I swam fathoms,
Enjoying the wondrous
Cerulean paradise
That surrounded me.
I bathed in warm tropic waters
And dived down to the depths of the sea.
No other reptile dared venture into that coldness.
I was the only one who could endure
The water's chilling bite.
Then suddenly, more than a decade after my birth,
Being filled with the fruit of life,
I felt the intense need to return to the only shore
I had ever seen.
And it was there I placed
My own dear hatchlings
Under the warm sand,
Praying for their arrival to the water,
And abandoning them
To their providence.
I traveled far from that place,
Exploring all the corners of the world,
Until I found myself here:
My final resting place.
It was here I spied that jelly,
So white and glimmering,
Floating upon the surface with a brilliant gleam.
And I devoured it, as I have done so many times before.
But this jelly had a bizarre texture and taste,
And I have endured the worst for swallowing it.
And now that I am ill with death,
I can do nothing
But drift here, dying.
All rights reserved, © Gaffer
A Cry From The Deep
Have you ever heard the whales sing?
And really listen to the words
They tell of dreadful torment
Without need for adjectives or verbs
The eerie ghostly messages
Reverberate around the earth
Reporting pain and suffering
To all creatures in the surf
The deep mournful cries and shrieks
Are impossible to describe
Yet listen very carefully
And tears will fill your eyes
We will never comprehend them
And they understand us even less
But surly this is not the way to go
We should at lest attempt to guess
The wailing, moaning, groaning
Spaced out with screams and squeals
Is an alarmist proclamation
That they need a better deal
They may seem huge and strange to us
But I'm sure they're crying out for love
There's a certain pleading in their voice
Do they have a God like us?
But has their God forsaken them
And that's why there's so few left
Or is their "God" the same as ours
And he's giving us a test
Next time you hear a whale sing
Have a different point of view
They are not just making noises
They are crying out - to you.
Albert Edward Gazeley © 2002
Listen to the Whales
Butterfly Consoles Caterpillar
Listen YOU silly fella; sulk pot of this wood
one magic moment is longing to touch you dude
that touch'll change you to cocoon
The world'll be your oyster soon
Don't let hibernation ever bother you
it's a natural process we all go thro'
spring'll bring courage to open up your wings
you'll be soaring above the highest swings
yucky leaves you've been eating so far
sooner you'll be sucking yummy nectar
you'll be adored for multi hued attire
blend in brown, yellow, black, white, sapphire
Remember, we Butterflies are just here for a season
the life with only one reason
to dance in the light
for others delight
It's time I must leave
chin up and don't turn blue
let us be thankful to the creator
For making our dreams come true.
All rights reserved, © mina nagi
Dining With Cheetah
Beautiful black tears beneath her eyes
Eyes scan the land for precious prey
Paws move softly, stealthily
Then burst forth rapidly
Accelerating
To forty-five
Miles for each
Hour
Sharp
Cutting
Teeth compress
Upon poor beast's
Delicate windpipe
Slowly suffocating
She devours meat quickly
For she cannot fight larger cats
And they will soon be there to pillage
She finishes her bloody meal
Leaving skin, bone, and entrails
As she is finicky
But that carrion
Makes a fine meal
For nasty
Vulture
Birds
All rights reserved, © Gaffer
Platypus Musings
Hello little platypus, you poor confused thing,
why do you burrow holes, yet never leave the stream?
You know you're a mammal, right? It seems so clear to me.
And yet your lady friend lays eggs as pretty as you please!
Hello little platypus, I'd love to help you out,
but I can see the spur on your leg, and hear your venom's stout!
How do you find your submarine snack while closing your black little eyes?
I know you can't hear after closing your ears, you feel by your beak, I surmise!
Hello little platypus, do you seek identity?
With a beak like a duck and a beaver-like tail, you swim with such obvious ease!
An oddity of nature, I wish I could speak the platypus lingo you do
so I could find out all the answers to all the questions I have about you.
Gazelle
soft eyes shimmer, lashed abundant,
velvet skin glimmering bronze,
with cloven hoof and high step,
swiftly as on feet of wings
you flew across the plains,
fearful ever of dangers, here
and past,
nibbles gently at the sweetened
grass abundant,careful of all beings
drifting closer,wary scents fill the air,
startled awareness,awakening the senses
to alert,body language taut as a bow,
waiting for the fatal blow.
All rights reserved, © cutiepie
The Serpent
Sinuously twisting, writhing
fluid motions,hunting with no sound
no ears to confuse,waiting,
sniffing, tasting the air
with a forked tongue alert
hidden beneath the earth
waiting,
camouflaged suitably matching
surrounds,translucent in it's
deathly glow poised
waiting,
Carnivorous fangs dripping
with anticipation for
it's prey, waiting,
racing with silent intent
towards it's goal sinking fangs
deep and deadly still waiting,
death when evident returns the
serpent to its prize and with easy relish
devours, satisfaction apparent,
returns to basking in the sun
or the ritual shedding of skin,
laying of eggs deep buried beneath the sand.
All rights reserved, © cutiepie
Giants of the Forests
Crazed malefactors of old
decimated grey souls
with ignorant ways
and guns for gold.
Majestic Yellowoods long
with patience adorned
to garnish the ghosts
for a legacy reborn.
Telepathic tidings evoke
from highveld to sea
a passionate recourse
this desperate plea.
Lonely giants of the forest
hidden from demise
would be anointed
with relative eyes.
All rights reserved, © Wildman
Hunted
Soft brown eyes, ever watchful,
darting swiftly silently all around
whiskers twitching, smelling the air,
footpads tripping, scuttling around.
Black eyes watching, peering to ground
Hunting, hovering on wing,
Stalking motions, swaying on the breeze,
futile efforts to get away,
death is so sudden, just a heartbeat away.
All rights reserved, © cutiepie
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Endangered Animals
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