Saturday, April 15, 2017

New Life, Giraffes, and Spring: National Poetry Month

You may be one of the thousands of people following the giraffecam at Animal Adventure Park in Harpersville, New York, awaiting the birth of April the Giraffe's baby. If so, you are cheering for the baby, born this morning:


My granddaughter's favorite animal is the giraffe, and we always make sure to see them at the zoo. I took the picture below at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls and wrote the poem after observing giraffe feeding at the Minnesota Zoo.


                                                          Feeding the Giraffe
                                                         (at the Minnesota Zoo)

                                                         A boy stands
                                                        on the deck,
                                                        level with the
                                                        giraffe’s neck
                                                        and
                                                        bestows a biscuit.
                                                        The giraffe
                                                        leans down,
                                                        and
                                                        with its
                                                        long tongue,
                                                        laps up
                                                        the treat.
                                                        As the boy
                                                        backs away,
                                                        the giraffe
                                                        watches him
                                                        with eyes like
                                                        bowls of brown velvet.


                                                        ~Jane Heitman Healy © 2013

(This poem previously appeared on David L. Harrison's Word of the Month site in July 2013.)

Here's to new life and spring!

2 comments:

  1. I love your poem and giraffes. I have two statues - one is a wood carving.

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    Replies
    1. Your statues sound lovely! Thanks for your kind words, Life's Beautiful Path.

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