Wherever I may hop
and plop them down
in summer my hind feet
are a shade of brown
yet in winter white
which leave large footprints
each and every night
but then by day
I'll have you know
they give the game away
as is my inborn habit
here there and everywhere
for at best I'm less a rabbit
more a snowshoe hare
As the leopard
can't change its spots
the zebra of which
there are species three
(Burchell's, Mountain and Grévy's)
its stripes also cannot
black-and-white
supposedly
but white on black
front-to-back
in reality
it's cryptic colouration
a synonym
for animal camouflage
for which an entourage
of biologists resound
with unproven hypotheses
(e.g., keeping flies off in summer)
and specious theories abound
For Many years unable to identify
this haunting whoo whoo sound
Could it be an insect or a bird up in the trees
An amphibian by the creek perhaps ?
or something, else not identified, rising from the ground
The hoot was mostly early morning but sometimes through the night
unable to get vision of this creature
perhaps through camouflage it kept itself from sight
The mystery, finally it was solved
in the middle of the day
When the haunting hoot erupted,
not too far away
In desperation as a result of an attack by a marauding crow
the sound was emanating from a desperate immature creature
A frog? no not really but part of the name,
of a bird, that's how it does feature
In appearance it much resembles some owls
Its called a Tawny "FROGmouth"
a name with several vowels
A few metres from our house there are up to four
perched upon the same branch roosting
and sleeping through the day
They are nocturnal feeders, intermittently the branch is vacant
as they opt to stay away
our yard is creeping with dandelions
clover and wild thistle growing too
soon it will be camouflage for full grown lions
black pumas, spotted leopards and king of the lions too
I-guana
M-aintains
I-ts
E-legant
P-oses,
A-s
C-ats
A-im
T-o
A-pprehend,
N-ature
G-rants
©bfa061525
Monocrostic (Birthday of Imie E. Pacatang)
Hail us as a devoted soldiers in camouflage,
see us march forward with a head held up high,
it's a choice we have made, we walk proudly;
we are going where many can't decide destiny:
shouldn't we consider ourselves lucky?
Only the brave ones protect liberty,
never losing their valiant spirit and courage:
young girls behind the police barricades sigh!
There are thousands of us holding weapons and flags:
who dares to challenge us: we're the strongest army,
we have pledged allegiance to our great country eternally;
some have deserted the camp: we stand behind trances!
Hails us as devoted soldiers in camouflage,
nothing scares us: don't we show invincibility?
Follow us to the warships as if it were a pilgrimage;
it's very sad to see them wave goodbye and cry!
Who fights for freedom doesn't fear enemies,
no flag will be taken down despite the threat;
it will wave steadily to incite fervor in us:
nightfall may dim our sight, not our grit!
sly chameleon
resting on frozen wasteland ~
roaming arctic fox
Insects are terrific at camouflage
Many blend into bushes and trees
Leaf katydid doesn’t move or dodge
Lying still during autumn breeze
With her oranges yellows and bits of green
Leaf katydid is almost rarely seen
Lying on a leaf that matches her exactly
Being still, unmoving, most compactly
Turquoise camouflage
outlines constantly shifting
across diamond fields
Vintage Chanel lives rent free in my mind
the colors are deep, subtle and magical.
Over time, the originally soft textures,
become luscious like a lover's caressing touch
In college, you dress down,
you want to blend in, not stand out
gods forbid you flag entitlement
and draw envy's barbed compliments.
The simple styles bear the twin burdens
of camouflage and practicality.
In Paris, fashion can be capricious,
but elegance is a silent conversation,
with its own intricate vocabulary in drape,
line, fabric and in painstaking choice.
In places where fashion matters - Paris, Manhattan, the Hamptons,
it can signal position, the way uniforms signal authority everywhere.
A splash of fashion can not only have a fabulous effect
on how its wearer feels, it can tell important stories.
I’m told that, in back rooms, where fortunes are awarded or lost,
fashion can announce arrival, rank, and intent.
It can whisper new wealth, in upstart display
or a threadbare, silent duel with mounting debt
.
.
Songs for this:
The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby & The Range
Read Between the Lines by The Bingtones
I'm getting good at blending in with the wallpaper
the patterns in the flooring
I'm even becoming etched into the glass of the living room windows
All the places that I find myself , losing myself
I'm learning how to exist in between spaces
I am here, but I am nowhere
I stop and stare to long, I keep silent to long
These days are to long
don't let me mention the hours, the way the minutes add up
The millions of seconds I spend vacating myself
In my world lost is the new word for what resembles life
on the outside everything looks fine
But I promise
It isn't
Sweet in white raiment
Be careful in sheep's clothing
It might be a wolf.
She came from darkness
Wants to be eyes of stars
To hide her blackness.
I mask myself well
hiding in the night shadows
for no one to see
camouflage
calico cat
calm captivating cadence
cagey cajoling calculating
cantankerous capricious canny
careening caressive caviling . . .
___________________
September 02, 2022
Poetry/Alliteration/camouflage cat
Copyright Protected, ID 09-1484-903-02
All Rights Reserved, 2022, Constance La France
Written for the Standard contest, Alliteration
sponsor, Joseph May, Judged 09/02/2022
Third Place
Sub Categories
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