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Dauntless
“Put on the dauntless spirit of resolution”. ~ By William Shakespeare
Meet this dweller of the icy continent
Among the few, he is the chief occupant
Out in that territory, it is freezing cold
With nothing but a sea of whiteness to behold
In this far stretching desert of ice
Live the emperor penguins wise
They are birds erect, not designed for flight
Neatly dressed in suits of black and white
They remind us of nuns dressed in white
With hoods in black and souls contrite
The penguins thrive in snow and sleet
That to them is never an easy feat
Over the ice they smoothly waddle
And in water with flippers, they paddle
Strangely, it is in the peak of winter they breed
When nature goes scarce with food to feed
After a period of intimate courtship
Into responsible parenthood they slip
The female lays a single egg
Never one more, even if we beg
Right away she goes on a feeding spree
Appointing her husband as designee
To guard over the egg and keep close watch
Until the young one is ripe to hatch
Do you know how it incubates the egg?
He balances it on the feet of his leg
Till the young one is out, he refuses to eat or drink
A rare sacrifice of which we can hardly think
In this period, he thrives solely on body fat
And in course, he loses half his weight
At last, from the egg, when the chick is out
It is not allowed to go to the ice direct
But is locked inside the parent’s brood pouch
Where the little one feels comfy as on a couch
If it ever dares to venture out
It will freeze to death, no doubt
The emperors thus live on the razor edge of life
And their lives with challenges are rife
Yet with dauntless resolution, they face their fate
And against all adversities, their life they celebrate
With their densely packed layers of plumage
They keep their bodies from serious damage
When comes the blasting breath of the blizzards
As a precaution to skim over the hazards,
From their territories, they rally en bloc together
Huddling tight for warmth in the biting weather
Don’t you think the penguin is an emperor
Who subdues his hostile territory with prudent care?
A longer version of the bird’s dauntless endeavor is our life
An arduous climb through perils, pain and strife!
Copyright ©
Valsa George
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