Category Archives: Animals

Stanley Spencer’s War

08 Sunday Jul 2018

Posted by in Animals, art, Arts, Community, History, Literature, Nostalgia, Poetry, Relationships, Social Comment, Writing

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A quennet- a form invented by Raymond

Queneau in 1975.

This is an Ekiphrastic poem, dealing with the

discussion of a visual work of art.  It was commended

in the Ware Poetry Competition, judged by John Greening

and appears (ed) in the subsequent anthology.

It was inspired by a visit to The Sandham Memorial

Chapel at Burghclere, near Basingstoke, which Stanley

Spencer decorated with murals, depicting the

ordinariness of war, on The Home Front and in

Macedonia, where he served as a medical orderly.

The formatting is not quite right as WordPress

doesn’t allow me to centre and retain the spacing,

with the short noun phrases being centred beneath

the long line of 3 noun phrases.  The 5 line interlude

with the syllable counts of 1-5 should also be centred….

Nevertheless, you’ll get the idea!

 

 

 

precious horses   scavenging boar   tortoise company

mosquito nets

protective firebelt   unravelled puttee   distant Christ

Kalinova katharsis

Macedonian map   heavenly tea   wounded convoy

smuggled kitten

hotwater bottle

frostbitten foot

jam sandwiches

magenta bathtubs

traumatised scrubbing

iodine painting

bilberry feast

unravelled company  Macedonian mosquito  precious kitten

wounded Christ

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The Pangolin

03 Thursday May 2018

Posted by in Animals, art, Education, Environment, Humour, Nature, Poetry, Writing

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IMG_0043 (2)

 

Pangolin – nothing to do with penguin,

porcupine, furniture polish, mandolin.

It’s got no fur, feather, wingspan, or fin.

 

So, you’ve never heard of a pangolin?

It’s a mammal, covered in keratin.

Keratin? – a protection for its skin.

 

When it sniffs food, it gives a little sneeze

and it walks just as if it’s got knock knees,

looking like a dinosaur, if you please.

 

You’ve never seen one?  Well, that is because

they scrabble at night with very sharp claws

and their tongues flick termites into their jaws.

 

You’ve never smelled a pangolin, have you?

You wouldn’t want to, ’cause they pong like poo,

but – hey! – they might not like the smell of you!

 

They come from Africa, The Philippines,

Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka… it seems

bad men turn them into medicines.

 

Pangolins don’t like to be touched: not much!

They’ll try to avoid a predator’s clutch

and will hide in a hollow tree, or such.

 

IMG_0005 (4)

 

If they are scared, they’ll roll into a ball.

They like their own company – that is all.

Big cats will just paw them and let them fall.

 

Curled up, they can look like an artichoke;

they won’t even move, if given a poke.

Fast asleep, they don’t take it as a joke.

 

Arboreal ones will hang from their tails.

Pangopups ride on the backs of females.

They’re covered in all these cute little scales.

 

IMG_0003 (2)

 

You used to see pangolins in a zoo,

but nowadays there are only a few.

They value their freedom, the same as you!

 

They’re fussy feeders – their stenophagy*

means that they will only eat two, or three

types of termites, so it isn’t easy

 

to please a pangolin.  Yes, some have tried,

with worms and crickets and larvae, deep-fried,

but the pangolins turned up their toes and died.

 

So, if you’re offered one, do not buy it.

They only feed on their special diet.

They are not pets – so, don’t even try it!

 

I don’t want you to taste a pangolin.

You know, it would be a terrible sin

to eat animals who face extinction.

 

A pangolin has no teeth to bite you.

Its long, sticky tongue is coated with glue.

It swallows stones, which you should never do!

 

Apparently, it aids their digestion.

‘Quite how?’ would be a very good question.

Look up ‘the gizzard’ is my suggestion.

 

They’ve been around for 80 million years,

but now conservationists have raised fears

that, if we don’t help them, they’ll disappear.

 

IMG_0001 (2)

 

Join Prince William, His Royal Highness –

try to look on all wildlife with kindness,

whether pangolin, leopard, or lioness.

 

Pangolin, we have caused you much offence.

Your armour was given you for defence;

now we pledge to protect your existence.

 

IMG_0041 (2)

drawings and text copyright- Candia Dixon- Stuart, 2018.

 

 

 

* a narrow range of diet

Guernsey Guidelines

06 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Animals, Crime, Environment, Humour, Nature, Poetry, Satire, Social Comment, Writing

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Poetic ordinance regarding the Fishing Guidelines for

harvesting of certain shellfish in Guernsey and, for all I

know Sark too!

 

Haliotis tuberculata (not a nice name!)

Photo by Hans Hillewaert, Creative Commons attrib.

 

You must not collect

ormers, except on days of

the Full, or New Moon

and two others between

January 1st and

April the 30th.

 

This is a mere guide.

Please contact Sea Fisheries

for further information.

Don’t take the small ones.

In your possession you may

have cooked, pickled ones,

but eschew the deep frozen

and don’t cull while snorkelling.

 

If submerged partially,

it’s still a no-no.

The onus of proof is yours

to show innocence.

If you’re dining on a boat,

you’ll have to prove that

you didn’t dive for ormers.

(What the heck is an ormer?)

Anyway, don’t shuck them.

As for exporting –

except the cultivated –

only with permission

from Sea Fisheries!

Don’t even think about it.

That goes for importing too.

 

Please return the rocks

to their original sites.

Move crabs aside and

don’t stamp on fragile creatures.

Don’t frighten roosting

birds at Lihou, or Lissroy.

 

Park where you’re told

and take your rubbish with you.

Beware of the incoming

tides.  Don’t get stranded.

Do not degrade habitats;

minimise impact.

Apart from that, try to have

a relaxing holiday!