Welcome to poetry Friday, this week hosted by Tricia, HERE. Thank you, Tricia, for hosting this last week in March. Honestly I’m glad March is nearly over. It’s not my favorite month. April is a different story, a joyful one.
This month we were given a Poetry Peeps Challenge. I found in on Tanita Davis’ blog. I thought I’d take this on at the eve of April which is National Poetry Month.
I find pantoums difficult, the repetition can feel dull, and today I must have spent six hours on two different poems which I scrapped. That is the process, however, as frustrating as it can be sometimes. I finally wrote this, my final attempt, about an animal that captures my imagination even as it’s been extinct for 300 years.
IMAGINING THE DODO AFTER THREE HUNDRED YEARS Only clues remain. Head and foot displayed in Oxford. What did the dodo look like? Piece of skin in Copenhagen, head and foot displayed in Oxford, upper jaw in Prague, skin in Copenhagen, bone caches in Mauritius, upper jaw in Prague, we reconstruct this flightless bird. Bone caches in Mauritius— the dodo was an island bird. We reconstruct this flightless bird that fell prey to cats and rats. The Dodo was an island bird, alone, the bird had thrived. Sailors brought the cats and rats, only clues remain. What did the dodo look like? In our past the bird remains. Janice Scully 2024
Photo by McGill Library found on Unsplash.
This flightless, island bird was no match for species of animals introduced by sailors in the 1600’s.
Have a great weekend! Thank you, Tricia, for hosting!