Animal Poems

Tommy Turtle took a ride,
because the pond was deep and wide,
Buster Beaver offered his back,
to swim for free without any flack,
Tommy jumped on and grabbed for dear life,
this was his only chance to find a wife,
they crossed the pond to...Read More

I put a cricket by your head
As you were sleeping in your bed.

             Why scream, it's dead?!!
...Read More

The Panther
by Rainer Maria Rilke
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

His weary vision's so overwhelmed by iron bars,
his exhausted eyes see only blank Oblivion.
His world is not our world. It has no stars.
No light. Ten thousand bars. Nothing beyond.
Lithe, swinging with...Read More

Ashes to dust
If you must 
You will only end up in a bust 
You see you proclaimed yourself as a King 
In a place where they did not want to hear such a thing 
Defending from armies they did have
And...Read More

When gallons of water fall from the faucet,
my mother reminds me to turn off the faucet when not in use.

But as I count the last few drops falling down towards the drain,
I think about the animal that ate endangered,
and getting...Read More

Nature makes me blossom,
from the flower that blooms in my backyard,
to the tall trees that shimmer with green.

When I was five I remember exploring the outdoors, 
taking my red sketchbook everywhere.
Lines flying through the page,
as I try to resemble the...Read More

Chilled by cold Canadian air
Lake Okanagan’s waters run deep
And so does its Ogopogo
A legend the centuries keep

Native Americans feared it
Animal sacrifices were made
Before they boarded their canoes
And set out to traverse the lake

Campfire stories natives told
Of the monster “Snake in...Read More

 

on a gentleman’s humble farm
six hungry mouths to feed
an ambitious garden
behind the chicken coop
each hen adopted by the kids
given funny names
inside a big tall fence some bunnies
all given bunny names
around the dining table 
one big happy family
coq au vin...Read More

charming afternoon
a black, mighty eagle prowls
in spite of the mouse
~
witching afternoon
a great, mighty eagle prowls
hungry for the mouse
~
fly lonely eagle
swoop down on your prey a catch
claws encapsulates

2/24/20
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2020©
...Read More

Swiftly and bravely,
The Hare scatters from its home,
a glimpse of nature.
...Read More

cub whiskey
stream noon pebble
clam amber...Read More

Kansas is the home of the tornado and the deer
I did not fully appreciate this until I moved here
I see them in my yard bashing my bird feeders round
When they break, the deer lick the feed off the ground.

Raccoon mamas...Read More

I step gingerly into my yard
Avoiding the leaf piles 
For that is where the snakes hide

The ground is frozen solid.
But they are down there.
In their hidey-hole, waiting.

I have a regular garter snake; I fancy she is a she.
She sits at...Read More

The stag was astounded by fox’s nerve.
Not realizing this was no ordinary fox.
You are going to the city? Why? Stag asked.
To peer in and peer out, to unify my flocks.

This is when Stag realized why fox was called Cosmos.
He was...Read More

Etymologists hate poetry -
I have that on the best authority -
Of course the bloody rhyme's not perfect!
What else do you expect?
The inventors of language
(About the closest match is "sandwich")
Were not supporters of our noble art,
They had us beaten from the...Read More

       Climbing sheer rock face,
   The sure footed mountain goats, 
            A stroll in the park

By
David Kavanagh...Read More

Tooting Bec, Clapham and Morden are all in South London


A mole was driving the bus today
from Tooting Bec to Clapham
A mole was driving the bus today -
an extraordinary thing to happen!
Sightless, relentless, he monstered the roads
with a honk and an...Read More

Middle of the road,
or somewhere in between,
Over and beyond,
is where I should’ve been,
Living in the undergrowth 
Staying more or less unseen 
Now a piece of roadkill,  
belly up hasbeen. 
As you drive on by,
Spare a thought for me.

Stuck to...Read More

None more than she will greet the warming sun.
The winter's storms have chilled her to the bone.
Now coloured signs of summer have begun
She sits atop a transient gilded throne.
As fickle sun will shine but sparingly
She knows full well she must...Read More

birdhouse in the wind
stringy light trails of birdseed
discreet squirrels wait
...Read More

We have two new fosters she said
I was shocked thinking they were surely at capacity
Dobermans this time.
Case managers will not do any more home visits now.
Great plan if you say you only have two dogs when you have sixteen.
Frankly I...Read More

I want to play but you say "shoo!"
So I left something in your shoe.

           I thought everyone liked tootsie rolls.

...Read More

I'm growing weary marching on this road to Chancellorsville. It's hard not knowing what awaits as I top the next hill. Your picture in a locket, I keep next to my heart. It helps me not to feel alone while...Read More

Anacondas crush to pieces
Bisons sport long shaggy hair
Cheetahs are the fastest species
Dolphins leap into the air
Elephants have large incisors
Fennec foxes, ears like Spock
Great white sharks unnerve the divers
Hyenas are laughing stock
Indris is a type of monkey
Jaguars are fast and strong
Kangaroos...Read More

People stop and stare
when I pass them on the street,
some believe it is bad luck
as our paths cross each other
others turn away and do not bother.

Singing the black cat blues.

Superstition follows we wherever I go,
like a black cloud ready to...Read More

Read wonderful animal poetry on the following sub-topics: acrostic, cruelty, death, farm, funny, haiku, kids, metaphor, nature, passing away, rights, rhyme, shape, and more. Read a definition and example (where appropriate).