Best Manatees Poems
I dreamt of blue birds
and buzzing bumble bees.
I roamed with the bison herds,
prayed with mantis on our knees,
and butterflies in the breeze.
I greeted the cheery chickadees,
dragonflies, and snowy owls.
I marveled at graceful manatees.
raucous sounds of guinea fowls,
and warblers’ velvet vowels.
I raved at ravens
dancing on a fertile field.
Mice sought havens,
safe shelters that red ants build
in hopes from spiders to shield.
I spotted rain-drenched
autumn leaves in tapestries,
their beauty strangely entrenched.
Purple hues imbued in varying degrees,
of gladiolas and sweet peas.
So many perfect pleasures,
many another than these.
All of God’s treasures,
created with love to please,
arranged to calm my world with ease.
Categories:
manatees, animal, bird, dream, environment,
Form:
Rhyme
Sailors Rusty and Oz cruise back from the steely shores of the Bahamas, underway and navigating to Key West. Tired from the ship’s routine, duties, and three long months away. There is a full moon, and the stars shine like diamonds in the black sky.
Underneath a full silver moon
there on an open sea
Her golden locks flowing down,
drapes her back endlessly.
Flawless, in perfect harmony
with the water.
Propelling herself up from under
darkened hues of emerald green.
Plunging down, one with the ocean.
Her mermaid tail glistening colors
of violet and crimson.
She swims towards the ship,
the ship’s port holes lit brightly
shine through, she catches sight of me.
We lock eyes, her cobalt blue eyes
I would get closer to see.
Whether a dream or imagination,
a raft I’ll take, make my way to her.
Knowing not if she’ll flee,
I s l o w l y lean over.
We kiss.
Mermaid shmermade, Oz you’re drunk.
Mythical half-female, half-fish creatures
They only exist in seafaring lore.
Like you,
I too saw a mermaid,
she wasn’t made up.
A real sea cow as a matter of fact.
Cared nothing of vanity,
nothing like they are made out to be.
Manatees are slow-moving aquatic mammals,
with human-like eyes,
bulbous faces and paddle-like tails
Pay attention to detail,
and not to Circe,
you see my friend,
you kissed a manatee!
Categories:
manatees, humor, imagination,
Form:
Imagism
Bend your eyes and ears around
the sights and sounds of a
world at peace.
A squadron of oak trees on
a hill, laughing and playing acorns
with unsuspecting travelers below.
A phalanx of bison, wind whipping
tired eyes, conquer prairie after
prairie, victory assured.
Dozens of purple martins, dive
bombing this way and that,
enjoy a dinner flight.
A herd of underwater manatees,
precisely pinging echo-location,
submarine in unison, towards
their night grove.
Shooting stars, without targets,
celebrate our celestial
hope,
Our
Celestial
Hope
07/18/13
© All Rights Reserved
Categories:
manatees, analogy,
Form:
Alliteration
If I were a Mermaid
If I were a Mermaid my name would be Margo and I’d live in the deepest blue sea
I’d swim with the dolphins, make friends with the sharks and hope that they wouldn’t eat me
If I were a Mermaid my tail would be gold and my hair would be crimson red
I’d hold it in place with fishbones I found buried deep in the seabed
If I were a Mermaid I’d go to school in a cavern by the bay
My classmates would be clownfish and squid
The teacher a grumpy stingray
If I were a Mermaid I’d frolic and play with the creatures of the sea
The lobsters and shrimp the whales and the crabs
the eels and shy manatees
If I were a Mermaid I’d spend my days watching ships as they travel afar
I’d spend my nights on warm sandy beaches
Making wishes upon shooting stars
If I were a Mermaid I’d dream of pirates and the treasures that they sought
I’d dream of their ships with their tattered white sails and the battles that they fought
If I were a mermaid I would do all these things in my
Home beneath the sea
But I’m not really a mermaid so I’ll just be content
To be the one and only ME
Categories:
manatees, 3rd grade, 4th grade,
Form:
Rhyme
On the Sixth Day
On the sixth day God created the animals
Oh what fun creating the animals;
Rolled up each sleeve to create all the animals
On the sixth day.
God made cats and dogs and hogs and frogs
Elk and moose – mongoose on the loose;
Singing birds and fuzzy chicks –
The Lord in Heaven even made a tic? Ick!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made camels, rhinos, laughing hyenas
Lions, tigers, funny stripped zebras;
Robins that fly and pigs with curly tails
Roadrunners, coyotes and the slowest snails. Beep! Beep!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made leopards, cheetahs, elephants, oh my!
Bumblebees, ladybugs and all the butterflies;
Bears and badgers, bunnies too!
Koalas down under then made the kangaroo. Yahoo!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made otters, dolphins, seals and grey whales
Beavers, peacocks, squirrels with their funny tails;
Worms that slither and tortoise that creep
Wombats, meerkats, silver fox and fuzzy sheep! Baa!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made gophers, manatees, long-necked giraffe
Anteaters, platypus just to see us laugh;
Walrus, polar bears, doe eyed deer;
Possums and skunks, not to fear! Whew!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made crickets, fireflies, marmots, muskrats,
Jaguar, walking sticks, radar guided bats;
Beavers, ferrets, woodchuck, raccoons -
Made the wolves who howl at the moon. Howl!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made crab and shrimp and gooey ducks
Lobster, cows, grasshopper ruckus;
Horses, ants and donkeys forlorn
But, God didn’t make a unicorn? Oh no!
On the sixth day God created the animals.
God made gophers, panthers, giant roly-poly bugs
Gold fish, spiders, clams in shells -so snug
Birds that swim and fish that fly
All these creations – my, oh my! My, oh my!
On the sixth day God created the animals;
Oh what fun to create all the animals;
Rolled up each sleeve to create the animals –
On the sixth day! Yeah!
Categories:
manatees, animal, bird, creation, fish,
Form:
Lyric
So harsh and cold, the late October wind
Oak branches sway before the orange moon
Bright leaves that filled its branches now have thinned
Just one remains to dance in autumn's tune
But I stroll to the river filled with hope
A group of manatees takes shelter there
Their playful ways have always helped me cope
In winter when the trees have stripped to bare
Our love for living things will linger on
Throughout the winter, we'll seek signs of life
Though dormant plants may seem like they are gone
I choose to see the boons, not study strife
For birds and animals still entertain
When spring returns, we'll welcome blooms again
Written October 31, 2019
Categories:
manatees, animal, autumn, tree,
Form:
Sonnet
ghostly beluga whales
shy and discerning
hide out in coves
manatees giggle their secrets
their calves are frisky and open
dolphins swim toward the boats
making friends with everyone
sharks wait for lunch
hoping to catch a whiff of blood
Categories:
manatees, ocean,
Form:
Free verse
Flamingos pink and perky love wading in the glades,
Lazing on white sand beaches you'll see tourists on display.
Oranges grow in groves off'ring juicy sweet splendor,
Rainy days combust into lightning flash and thunder.
Interesting marine life, such as Manatees, dwell here,
Days of blazing sunshine draw many Snowbirds near.
Alligators do abound - just want to make that clear!
To sum it up, Florida can be a tropical paradise.
A great place to live if you don't like snow and ice.
3/26/14
(For those of you unfamiliar with the term "Snowbirds": It's the nickname for the Northerners
who come spend their winters in Florida's warmer climate)
Categories:
manatees, home, places,
Form:
Acrostic
Alligators bask lazily on tree limbs overhanging the meandering rivers
Gentle manatees playfully rise above the water line to catch a breath
Such a delight to see these threatened mammals rebounding
Palms and Live Oaks stand as sentries on the river banks
Casting tropical silhouettes against the orange orb as it succumbs below pink clouds
Across the peninsula on the Atlantic coast, seagulls huddle together
Winter winds ruffle their feathers as they scavenge for food
Even in cold weather, “snowbirds” flock to our shores
Retirees leave their footprints on our white sands
Each day, their prints are washed away as the tide thrusts its wet arms
*Entry for Brian's Imagery contest
Categories:
manatees, nature, places,
Form:
Free verse
PLEASE SAVE US MANATEES
By The Poets Listed After the Poem
Practically perfect people in speedboats tease us manatees.
Long ago, as “mermaids,” we could swim the seas free as the breeze.
Even though propellers have replaced natives' canoe paddles,
A manatee's underwater world need not leave him rattled.
Swimming slow through shallow waters we're not looking for a fight.
Each one of us is trying to live free from this man-made plight.
So we glide below the surface in our one-piece swimming suit.
As we splash along, with no G-string thong. Wow! That's really cute.
Vibrations we send you, saltwater salutations please heed.
Endangered you call us we're thrilled; safe passage is all we need.
Under shallow sea my little calf died fish hooked in her feed.
Scar so deep by human's deed, my baby gone in red-hot bleed.
Months of cold weather, inland, slowly, we travel warm rivers.
Allure of warm waters, drifting, feeding, no chilly shivers,
Now, the government wants to remove our protective label.
As if toxic foe and loss of mild winter was a fable.
Tell our painful story now, by written word or moving song,
Each passing day our prospects dim-our future may not be so long.
Every person can take part. So, one and all please share your heart.
Save us manatee take action now. Search the web; find out how.
CONTRIBUTING POETS in alphabetical order: Charmaine Chircop, Carolyn Devonshire,
Robin Gass, James Marshall Goff, Barbara Gorelick, Sean Kelly, Ruben Ortellao, Patricia
Prescott, and Dane Ann Smith-Johnsen
I would like to dedicate this poem to Carolyn Devonshire, whose favorite animal is the
manatee.
Link to SAVE THE MANATEE Action Group.http://www.savethemanatee.org/action.htm
http://www.savethemanatee.org/talte.htm
http://www.savethemanatee.org/ta_miami-dade_mpp_8-09.html
Categories:
manatees, nature, recovery from..., sad,
Form:
Acrostic
Those Floridans, the manatees
Love playing in the surf …
First cousins to the elephant –
The only ones on Earth!
Categories:
manatees, animals, children, funny
Form:
Epigram
Manatees Are Born
In rainbow sparkles
Which twinkle beneath water.
Mirroring rivers.
© Dane Ann Smith-Johnsen
December 7, 2009
Categories:
manatees, nature
Form:
Haiku
Pothead
Stoned like a rock
Blazed like a fire
Baked like a cookie
Faded like a photo
Buzzed like a bee
Toasted like bread
Wasted like an alcoholic
Hammered like a nail
Oh I could go on
One of the saddest things in life
People throwing themselves Away
Just to get high like a private jet
Who knows
Maybe one day, smart people
Like me
Will be as rare as Manatees
Categories:
manatees, depression, health, life, sad,
Form:
Free verse
Cossack Cowboys
Riding Llamas
That they dress
In pink pajamas
Teeny boppers
Blowing bubbles
Biker chicks
Causing trouble
Nuns in Habits
Punks in chains
One or two
Of the deranged
Rubbing Buddha belly
Cravers
And the band
Harvey Danger
David Bowie
Elton John
Both of them
With Spacesuits on
Vegetarians
Eating chicken
Love it fried
Finger licking
In a line to
Meet and greet Obama
Now I wish
I'd brought my Mama
On the T.V.
Slicing, Dicing
Infomercials
Are enlightening
Lindsey Lohan
There's more trouble
Send the Police
On the double
Michael Jackson
With his monkey
Chandelier
Swinging junkies
Bottle Rocket
Ridding crickets
Dolly Parton
Doing dishes
Tubs of Crisco
Set for wrestling
Bee Gees do be
Disco dancing
With Bruce Jenner
Wearing makeup
Dolly's kitchen
Filled with soap suds
Rubber band
Bumper babies
Call me odd
Don't call me crazy
Shooting stars
Carry Uzis
Washed up stars
Drink beer in Koozies
Donnie Osmond
Singing show tunes
As Marie blows
Animal balloons
Circus Barkers
And their Minions
Waylon left us
Shooter Jennings
Heidi Klum
Without makeup
To say the least
She looks a bit rough
American flags
As rainbow banners
Peal, scratch, and sniff
Talking bananas
Hookha smoking
Manatees
Oh yea...
and then there's me
These are just a few of the things that lean
On the lamp post of my dreams
Categories:
manatees, dream, funny,
Form:
Rhyme
Ocean’s mist creates fog at dawn
Ramble along the beach or take a
Morning hike on a nature trail
Observe the herons, cranes and pelicans
No species are unprotected here
Drop the rifle and pick up a camera
Boars will surprise you on woodland paths
Each river is filled with manatees and alligators
Awesome white-tailed deer prance through the forests
Children create sand fortresses on the beach
Hiding from nature’s beauty is impossible here
A canvas can only capture an image
But first-hand visits are truly a privilege
Categories:
manatees, home, nature,
Form:
Acrostic