Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Darwin's Man or ape...














dversepoets.com  Our prompt today is to write a poem inspired by an animal...symbolic or not..



I climbed to drier ground from the mangrove,
waited until morning by a small fire
In a sleeping bag by my jeep, flashlight
by my side; a night breeze lulled me to sleep
as bushes rustled against each other
then my heart quickened when I heard a cry

It was a lonely sound, almost sobbing
I take out my flash camera and lay low
In sun-dried mud flats there had been footprints,
yesterday, imprints sunken inches deep
His feet measured 25 inches long
from heal to toe.  What big shoes he would fill!

Cautiously I stalked closer; I suspect
I'll capture his yet unseen image soon
Excited now to get a real photo
up close of him in his woodsy domain
As dawn broke its light I saw a profile
similar to mine, heard breathing, a growl

His eyes look in mine and I see kindness
a certain wildness, sadness and great fear
Yes, I'll be the first with real evidence,
scientific proof means BIGFOOT lives here
Without a weapon I sit beside him
We'll use sign language to communicate
"Glad to meet you", I said, "my name is Jim"


17 comments:

  1. Similar and yet so different our cousin, the wildness and sadness and great fear... but also that sob of loneliness...
    I notice you say it might be a cancer metaphor - something giant which we fear... and there you are, in the last lines, trying to get to know him, come to terms. Very moving.

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  2. very heartfelt. the loneliness and the great fear. i really like this.

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  3. ha. would be cool to meet big foot...and if we could come in peace....to be able to communicate, sign language...was watching a documentary on those that film animals the other day and how long they have to wait for some animals to show up...like hundreds of hours in a blind...sitting absolutely still...

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  4. And I'm sure he saw kindness in your eyes as well:)

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  5. I like how you humanize him -

    His eyes look in mine and I see kindness
    a certain wildness, sadness and great fear

    I like the welcoming in the end ~ Great story Katy ~

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  6. So nice to meet a kind soul like that.. Indeed I assume they just want company.. reminds me a little of Tim Burton's film "Big Fish" and the giant in that film...

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  7. wonderful build to a great ending - loved this! K

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  8. how very cool.. that would be a fascinating encounter... and cool to find a way to communicate as well

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  9. Big smile, here. The lack of fear opens the door to communication.

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  10. Indeed - a great metaphor for facing fear, for reaching out, trying to understand. A gentle poem with a certain tension within the conscious flowing words. Liked it very much indeed. I repeat I love the delicacy of your work.

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  11. I had a feeling this was a Sasquatch hunt. I'm not sure if I'm more impressed that you know sign language or that the Bigfoot does. a really cute piece.

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  12. I enjoyed this. I like how the feared beast really just wanted to communicate & the fear was taken away.

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  13. so thought you were going to write about something from the sea... LOL

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    Replies
    1. Ha....I usually do..thought about the octopus ;)

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..