Pilchard the Penguin Does Blue Planet

Penguin the pilchard leapt onto the ice
He flipped and he flopped and arrived in a trice
He took a deep breath and he held it and then
He bellowed with all of his might… “MEN!”

Pilchard the penguin said, “Where have you been?”
And then asked his friend, “What on Earth have you seen?”
Penguin the pilchard said, “I’m telling you,
A big boat has come with a whole TV crew.”

With all of the penguins now gathered around
Pilchard’s mum, Herring, prepared Pilchard’s ground,
“Remember the plan, we’ve done it before
For when men with cameras visit our shore.”

Pilchard the penguin said, “When they arrive,
We show them the struggle we have to survive.
Let’s huddle together then we can deliver
The image they want so let’s practice our shiver.”

A rumble, some heaving and ice cracks appeared
And up popped an orca… who nobody feared
“Okay,” he said, “so who do I chase,
and who is the stand in, you know… just in case?”

Pilchard the penguin said, “No ‘just in case’,
Nobody’s getting consumed in this place
It will be I that you shall assail
And I won’t be eaten by no killer whale.”

Seagull, the polar bear, said, “Holy cow…
Does this mean I can let my wind go now?’
Pilchard the penguin said, “Don’t let it go,
Until you’ve scraped ice up to make flakes of snow.”

The film crew arrived and they took up positions
They struggled to film the Antarctic conditions
It came as a shock that the blizzards that blew 
Came with a stench that was rather like poo…

The penguins all shivered while stood in one place
While foul smelling snow pelted everyone’s face
The crew filmed the penguin as orca gave chase
And shed tears of joy when the whale lost the race

Penguin the pilchard said, “Give them some smiles,
And leap from the sea like Polaris missiles.
And then do that thing that all humans find sweet
Where young penguins stand on their mum’s and dad’s feet.”

Pilchard the penguin said, “It’s for the tele,
Won’t it look good if we slide on our belly.
You see that ice gulley, why don’t we slide through it?”
And Penguin the pilchard said, “That ought to do it.”

The crew packed their gear and they made for the shore
Where they boarded their boat and weren’t seen anymore
While back with the penguins where men were now gone
Pilchard the penguin said, “Get the fire on.”
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

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Summers Avatar
December 22, 2022 at 7:54 PM
Enjoyed keeping up with Pilchard and his friends. It was all very entertaining. John
Flood Avatar
December 24, 2022 at 11:48 AM
Thank you, John. Contemplating another. Guess I’ll just start typing and see what he gets up to. Terry
Bauer Avatar
December 21, 2022 at 11:34 AM
i agree with tom that there should be a book with the collected stories of these wonderful characters, terry! so much fun!
Flood Avatar
December 21, 2022 at 11:52 AM
Thank you, Ilene. I can’t help wondering how many readers think I’ve slipped up when Pilchard the Penguin and Penguin the pilchard do their thing, and it does cause some headaches with the tempo and rhyme, but having spawned the pair, I don’t wanna kill either off. I’m just glad I didn’t give Seagull and Herring too much to do! ;-) Terry
Cunningham Avatar
December 21, 2022 at 7:24 AM
Lol, I'll be thinking of this watching David Attenborough You should write a book about these characters. Merry Christmas Terry and good health in the new year. Tom
Flood Avatar
December 21, 2022 at 11:59 AM
Thank you, Tom. One of the later stanzas did refer to Attenborough but it was too easy to slip into entirely the wrong rhythm so I had to pluck him out. At least I won’t be hearing from his lawyers. Happy Christmas to you too, Tom.
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