“The World’s Most Dangerous Bird”
Your cassowary is quite large.
When it feels threatened, it will charge
With five-inch talons, lightning speed!
It has the means to make you bleed,
And worse. You’d best be careful, very,
when you approach a cassowary.
Another Dog
Why get another dog? “We need some chaos,”
my wife decided. I was up for fun.
Why age and grow conservative and stodgy?
Our dog was middle-aged. We needed one
with youth and pep. The answer was a puppy,
and so we got one: puppyhood galore!
And I don’t want to say we are not happy.
It’s worked out well. He does what he was for.
In fact, he does it better than expected.
He turned our old dog into someone new.
Our whole house is their playground. Unprotected
from chaos, we cannot control the two.
They romp and play, then play and romp, and then
they romp some more. Chaos has come again!
Elementary Bird Watching
“Myth: I saw American Robins… in the middle of a snowstorm.
Does that mean that spring is just around the corner?
Myth Busted: The old wives’ tale is that a robin is the first sign of spring. …
However, American Robins are adaptable birds… [that] can be found across the United States
all winter long. … If you’re looking for a bird to help forecast the weather,
the Red-winged Blackbird is a more reliable predictor….
—NIEHS Kids’ Pages
You saw a robin? No big deal,
no matter what you think and feel.
A Red-winged blackbird is the thing
that lets you know when it is Spring.
Your robin’s tough and sticks around
through winters, though it can’t be found
because it hides in forests where
there’s some protection from cold air.
So tell your heart to stay in place
and not leap up and sing and race.
Robins that caused you to rejoice?
They’re here because they made the choice
To just swing in from out of town.
Still, do not let that get you down.
Keep searching for a bird instead
with bright red wings and a black head.