Best Habitat Poems
The gray exhaust of twelve warm hearths
Chased the clouds into the afternoon sky.
There stood the stalwart mansion
At peace with its surroundings
And steadfast with its environs.
Beckoning an affectionate greeting
Just beyond the bridge, it appears
To give light the sublime levity
Of being a nuance of darkness.
Its façade is as prestigious and lucent
As a librarian’s bustline in her noblest estate.
Its walls of luminous windows
Sit still in a kinetic majesty of colors,
Like the yew tree in its bounty of crimson berries.
This refuge from the current disharmonies
Radiates from its midst an unheard music
And a conviviality suggesting a vicarious ecstacy.
Here, perhaps, is that first step in darkness
Of the empire prophesized to come,
Bringing its measureless song
Of the queen of the northern lights,
Whose monarch calms the most vociferous tempest
And warms the most bitter winter chill.
Here, under the clouds of mortal brevity,
Contained are the exotic reactions
To long suppers and golden evenings
From the replenishing of early traditions,
Beyond youth’s humblest dreams.
The twelve hearths fully aglow,
Fueled with only kindling atoms,
Tell of a future only they can know
And every human mind fathoms.
Within these high stone walls,
Lit by radiant lamps’ glare,
Every place an eye-beam falls,
There is the glory of confident flair.
deep forest hush
sun beam on moss covered log
spotted owl calls
The spotted owl lives in old growth
forest, and is endangered because of
loss of habitat.
I watch the swaying brown tipped rushes
Against my cheek the gentle wind brushes
On quiet blue a dragonfly dips its feet
Landing where the sun and water meet
Blackbirds flash a wing of ruby red
Busy keeping a nest of fledglings fed
Bullfrogs with throaty voices call
Declaring their presence to one and all
Faint sound of traffic accosts my ears
As twilight descends and darkness nears
Saddened by the coming months of fall
This habitat destined to be a shopping mall......
HABITAT FOR WILD (Satis Shroff)
The flora and fauna
have a hard time
In winter.
The white mantle
Of snow covers
The branches, buds and barks.
The owl loves winter
As it takes in all
Beings that move,
With its keen sight.
The woodpecker knows
Where the larvae and insects
Are hiding.
It's Spring,
The landscape gardeners
Have chopped all the trees.
Now the spur is bare,
No more can I see
The deer that came
To greet me,
To chill in the peace
Of the undergrowth,
And partake
Of the wild elderberries.
Man needs new dwellings again,
Alas, the habitat shrinks some more.
When the deer eat vegetables
In Frau Sumser's garden,
She cries,
'Inform the official hunter.
They have to be shot.'
The deer are unwelcome guests
In her precious garden.
Now and then
A russet fox,
With a bushy tail,
Comes stealthily by.
Hope the hunter doesn't get a hint.
His duty is to keep wild away,
From human domiciles.
If he doesn't shoot,
He's a bad hunter.
If he does,
He's a bad guy.
And so the habitat dwindles,
For the wild.
© Satis Shroff. All rights reserved
The home of mankind and makind’s favourite drink
existing in a size bigger than spain and france combined
with its new flower, a diplomatic capital of its continent
and a paradise for vegetarians having the tastiest, healthiest
and most diverse cuisine in its regions.
It has a cycle more than the regular year-timing
and one of only two territories never to be dominated.
This home is of its own original Alphabet consisting of unique symbols
and a continental pride of its first ever Olympic Gold medal.
Aligns itself with members of the class of highest capitals
with more than twice the continental stony landscapes in its possession
and a detailed recognition far away from outer-space
on the great rift valley situated right in its heart,
all coming from this abode where the black Jews originated.
Its natural heritage is most appreciated and recognized amongst its peers
and the dwelling place to the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates
holding commanding claims to the biblical covenant Ark and commandments
are the sub-units of its pride spanning a long time scale
which is unfortunately altered by the common affliction
affecting all the settlers of its entire large neighbourhood.
I think your natural habitat is bed.
Although you do so nicely,
in your kitchen, baking bread,
and when at the dining table,
can enjoy the cheapest red,
still, I think your natural habitat is bed.
You paint truly lovely pictures,
in all colours, blue to red,
write some you beaut bonzer verse,
as swells a modest feller's head,
but you're at your most creative
when cavorting with clothes shed.
So I think your natural habitat is bed.
You're really such a lot of fun
at things much better left unsaid
but should we laugh the way we do?
Should we groan some more instead?
Perhaps neighbours might be thinking
we ain't really too well bred?
But you're such a lovely lady
and I'm so very easy led
so I think your natural habitat is bed.
A HABITAT OF MODEL AND A MEDAL: BAHAY KUBO
Our bahay kubo*
Is an achievement
And a dream come true
For us to dwell and live
On this simple hut
Whose inspiration I’ve drawn satisfaction
Indeed: I had gotten: A model and a medal.
Why would I say this, a self-reverenge
A MODEL “coz
This is a design
Typical of a Filipino
Worldwide known as Nipa Hut*
Is amply commemorated identity as a race
It’s simple and yet it generates
Patriotism, love strength, upheavals
Unity and success
A model in itself not anymore a caricature
Of value but a realism.
Be it poor, underdeveloped
It was conceived with faith, love and peace
A place for rest and recreation
A hub for hubbies
A hide-away from the crazy world
A stop-over for a voyage
And a playground as well as a battleground
Shared for all by forebears.
And, then also, a MEDAL
More than a bronze, silver or a gold
This hut, hub or a habitat for living things
Is an achievement, an accomplishment for greatness
Which I have a strong convictions of honor
And heroism deserving of a prize, reward and a medal
It is a tremendous height of wisdom
Hot, hut model and a medal!
*bahay kubo--- small hut
*Nipa Hut---native house in the Philippines, synonym of bahay kubo
A young Jane liked to observe, native birds and animals
making notes, sketches, and reading zoology and ethology
Her fascination of animal behavior, and their fundamentals
has taken her back in time, to work out their chronology
Jane Goodall for many years, lived among chimpanzees
to study the primates of Tanzania, in their natural habitat
immersing herself in their lives, and to help them to appease
by observing their actions, and becoming their diplomat
“Observing Chimps in Africa”, spending lots of time in trees
she imitated their behaviors, with a non-threatening pattern
that had limited murmurs, while not wanting to sneeze
and she started eating their food, as they accepted her intrusion
Two years of seeing them daily, the Chimp’s showed her no fear
when they started to approach her, in the search of bananas
The thinking of chimps as vegetarian, was a delusion of despair
as they were seen eating meat, and were nothing like Lammas
“Chimp Behavior Discoveries”, have given us some insights
about making tools out of plants, to spoon out and eat termites
Chimps have been seen, stalking, killing and eating animals
large insects, birds, baby baboons and other big mammals
Chimpanzee family structure, has dominant males at the top
and their complex social system, really helps then to develop
Their long-term family bonds, use touch and embraces to comfort
and a communicating method, a sound language that’s been taught
“Chimpanzee Family Book”, was written to educate children
with a learning tool, into saving the chimp’s struggling blight
and to protect their environment, without human development
because they are our descendants, an historic learning insight
“Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the Plants”
is what Jane advocates, for our ecological preservation
through the Jane Goodall Institute, with a few mini-grants
for her dedicated Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation
Jane Goodall’s book, “In the Shadow of Man”
is all about, our second most intelligent primate
discussing the chimpanzee’s treatment, from the human clan
and the captive moral dilemma, of abusing our historic mate
Jane Goodall, you are an amazing caring primate
who treats all life, as if you are, best mates
You tuft-eared Lynx
Once wild and free in home habitat
You became a specimen of science
Specimen BC-03-M-02
Captured near Kamloops Canada
Caged and sent to Colorado
To sire babies and enrich gene pools.
But once released they couldn’t keep you!
You yearned for home and family
Felt an urge to trek homeward-bound
You started a cross-border marathon
A travel odyssey of 2000 kilometres!
Leaping through sunsets and sunrises,
Clawing to alpine views
You snatched your padded paws
From speeding Michelins.
I think you were a marathon hero like Terry Fox
Whose Marathon of Hope raised money
To find a cure for cancer.
Your run was a Marathon of Hope for Habitat
To secure a home for wildlife,
Safe from human desecration
You both perished short of your dreams
Struck down by cell suburbs
Replicating to the loss of habitat and limb.
--------------------------------------------
Breaking news,
Bamff National Park,
Tag identified,
Rode kill
BC-03-M-02
Habitat: Aquatic
Behold the frog pond!
And beautiful lily pads
Alive. And bonded.
© Dane Ann Smith-Johnsen
December 6, 2009
Gardens, houses, metaled roads, no tractor and mower
Speed limit grows in reverse, bigger and slower
Brick and concrete slowness teks ower
Sixty, forty, to thirty, where does it stop ?
Down to twenty wi’ houses on top
The infrastructure is little
Planners and government fickle
Greenbelt is pointless and brittle
Farmers berated for removing hedges and trees
Yet with urban spread, it’s the accepted disease
Tyres, bottles, wire, bricks and stone can’t be mown
Poisonous garden waste and domestic rubbish thrown
Working farms overwhelmed, engulfed and surrounded
Unworkable as animals are regularly hounded
Mechanical and vet bills compounded
Abilities and patience are seriously tested
However much time money and effort invested
rubbish knackers machines and kills animals when ingested
It matters not how well the farm is managed
Gates left open, animals and boundaries continually damaged
Old farmhouses swallowed up, all out of place
Invaded by alien architecture, right in their face
Greenfield sites with scant protections
Built-up outline grows more projections
New estates in all directions
Exponential town growth,
Ribbon development, conurbation sloth
gradual creep, sudden crawl
Houses and industrial units, landscape awl
Removes the countryside whole, urban sprawl…
the last tram passes away
the boy
who is the owner of every parted-kite
sits lonely on the empty bench of the park
and makes it enlightened
in one pocket
he has few pieces of dry breads
in another
the air to play on bamboo-flute
the night is filled with
mushroom
all the shout within the dialogues
gradually becomes weak
and vanishes
there is no tangle in the
hair
the bier of the hindu-satkar-samiti
runs away
causing a quake in the locality
some needles
small medium and big
are doing their morning-walk
on the thread-line
that is the secret of a phoenix
a
long
fragile
spidery
silver threadlike street
crossing in nature's G.P.S.
like those swinging bridges in gentle wafting breezes
temporary avenues to more hospitable environmental habitat
written January 3, 2022
i may call it a leaflet
i may call it a handbill
but don’t you notice
a large number of gossips
is natant in the air
do you admit that the fuming heart
that’s glorifying the plate
should be made a must-read
for any seed-bed
the sun tells that to keep-fit
the health of the clouds
the instigation of the perfumed-soap
is required
with that pituitary
some neighing of horses
that is fastened tightly with cork
now see
if you can offer pregnancy
even to the barbie doll
by the by
it should be informed here
if the question of roaming in the woods
is raised
the highly-educated bathroom
feels very helpless
and taking repeated somersaults
in the sunshine
in the rains
the folding umbrella
also have got very much out-of-temper
The fairies of chaitra
lie on the un–wrinkled bed
with their backside up
in the hearsay of the air
once the woods of tamarisks
once the hill of paraffin
it appears there is no interruption
to this circus
the toy-telephones
hang from the cloud to cloud
from that carnival
take birth many kanthali-champa
the surgeon comes calmly
to the secret of darning
all localities are totally maddened
by the flow tide of the exudation
observing all those happenings
the half-broken wave
does awake on the sofa-set