Sense Sonnet - Acher

Bali Mynah Appeal - LPZ

A Bali mynah bird I be,
Flying high at Lincoln Park Zoo,
But almost extinct in Bali,
We birds do need some help we do.
Lots of Zoo folks are travelling
To raise awareness 'bout this plight.
Praises of thanks to them I sing.
In full support, I'm in full flight.
I'm lucky that I'm safe and sound.
My Zoo is where I spread the word.
Humans can turn the bad around,
And be the good to give the bird.

In the Bird House come visit and
Give a high five - I'll understand.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Wing It - LP Zoo

I am a stork - what do I do?
Do I deliver babies? - No.
I am at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
And do my stork stuff - doncha know!
Parents do bring their kids to see
The Zoo animals that are here.
And when the kids get to see me,
What they've been told seems to appear.
I listen patiently to all
Tell their tales of growing childhood.
The who, the when, the where - each call,
Assuring me that each been's good.

Kids ask the parents why don't I
Recall the little gal or guy?

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Turtle on Call - LPZ

An ornate box turtle I be,
New hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
The Lion House is home for me -
No lyin'! Behind the scenes I do
Be waiting for a year or so,
Until the keepers deem me fit,
Off to the prairie I will go,
To do my save my species bit.
For the good I was born and bred.
I'm sure that all is going well,
To meet the challenges ahead,
A whole new world outside my shell.

When the opportunity knocks,
I think outside my ornate box.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Web Stir - LP Zoo

A golden silk spider I be,
Newly come to Lincoln Park Zoo.
In African Journey find me,
A weaving a web just for you.
Now full disclosure, I am not
From Africa, but rather roam
In Florida where I got got,
And am happy to call here home.
African spiders once were here,
But all of them had passed away.
No such others chose to appear.
I got to come. I'm here to stay.

Oh what a tangled web I weave,
But I do not mean to deceive.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Emperor Newt - LP Zoo

An emperor newt I do be,
Salamander amphibian,
From Asia originally,
A Lincoln Park Zoo citizen.
The color orange is prominent -
My head, my tail and nodes on back.
The nodes have venom to present,
If predators choose to attack.
Worms and bugs I do like to eat,
So when I hear my space door hinge,
The keeper with food I do greet,
And do not spray my nodes of orange.

In hand that feeds me, I could fit.
If bearing food, I welcome it.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Pied Tamarins - LP Zoo

Pied tamarins - bicolored hue
Of white and dark bodies of fur.
Find us at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
And you will be impressed for sure.
The Primate House we do call home.
Of new world monkey family,
Up in the trees we like to roam.
A whistling and chirping we be.
Humans who can't visit us can
Check us out on the Zoo Facebook.
A Go-Pro does a super scan
Of us, so go for a look.

We do great scenes of greet and meet,
Of course taking some time to eat.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Moonful

September twenty seventh in
The year of two thousand fifteen,
Celestial bodies did their spin,
Lining up in a quite rare scene.
On Earth, the moon was the show star,
With many names all wrapped in one.
Full and harvest, cuz 'twas least far
From the autumn equinox done.
Super cuz 'twas closest to Earth
Than any other time of year.
Blood cuz 'twas tinted red in worth.
Earth's shadow then did made disappear.

Next time - eighteen years - not too soon.
Maybe I'll watch it from the moon.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Cotton to Me - LP Zoo

A cotton-top tamarin, I
Do swing at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
In monkey shines - don't ask me why.
I just do cute, that's all I do.
Sloth, lizard and fish I do share
My habitat with, so I be
Reminding all my roomies there
That visitors come to see me.
Check the map for my habitat,
And come to my window and stop.
Try to find where I might be at.
I'm the one with the cotton-top.

One truth that I cannot escape -
I am addicted to the grape.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

HillBillill and The SNL Skit

"Bill - where were you Saturday night/"
"You better have watched me be Live."
"I left on the conspiring right,"
"Punch lines to plug my polling dive."
"Actors parodied you and me,"
"But I bar tended in a role,"
"To show how funny I can be,"
"While I'm climbing out of a hole."
"Of my two faces I did show,"
"The one that shows my timely wit."
"While on the Prez race I do go,"
"I do a helluva  bull skit!"

"One elect me phenomenon -"
"Saturday Night Live - we live on."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Candid Camera - LP Zoo

Addison, a 3 month old girl,
Along with brother Clark, we do
Find humans to be in a whirl
Of busy at Lincoln Park Zoo.
Red panda cubs, we know we're cute,
So after a healthy exam,
Humans of course wanted to shoot
Some pix of us, so game I am.
I, being the less bashful one,
Got human handled into pose.
I stuck my tongue out - that was fun.
I do it to Clark lots - he knows.

But after I showed Clark the way,
He got cranky and would not play.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

No Thumb for Me - LP Zoo

A colobus monkey am I,
New born at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Not sure yet if a gal or guy,
In time humans will get a clue.
Mom is taking great care of me,
In the Primate House we call home.
I'm filled with curiosity,
Watching the humans beyond roam.
I hear that colobus is Greek
For a monkey without a thumb.
Look close and I'll give you a peek.
But don't ask me to say how come.

Do visit me and we'll have fun.
I'd give thumbs up if I had one.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Good Slothing - LP Zoo

I am a baby sloth born new,
Continuing Noah's Ark thing,
Save species at Lincoln Park Zoo,
More human awareness to bring.
The Bible mentions sloth a lot,
One of the seven sins I hear,
The lazy side that humans wrought.
Named for a human sin - on dear!
So humans - fight your slothful side.
Come to the Zoo and visit me.
Be aware that I like to hide,
So seek me out diligently.

Look hard for me - the baby sloth,
And ye shall find what ye hath soth.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

My Space

I be posting, therefore I be.
But if my post is never known,
Am I the proverbial tree
That falls but is not heard or shown?
So did I make a sight or sound,
If no one else is there to share
Such musings of mine so profound?
Of course they must be posted there,
Along with a selfie to show
The face behind the profound word.
So what if only I do know?
I know I be. I be assured.

I be my time. I be my place.
My being be in cyberspace.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Yogi Berra

You told us, "It ain't over till"
"It's over," and "It's deja vu"
"All over again." Deeper still -
"The towels there were so thick too -"
"I could hardly close my suitcase."
And "It gets late early out here."
You spoke of things to come to face,
But cautioned that it did appear
"Future ain't what it used to be."
"I never said most of the things"
"I said." But still had gratefully
All those great Yogi-ismings.

Yogi Berra - thank you for your
Pure gems of wit in language lore.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

World Rhino Day - LP Zoo

World Rhino Day - the humans do
To try to help us rhinos live.
Home here at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
I am proud for a part to give.
Humans call Kapuki my name.
I know that I am safe and sound
From the world wide bad poaching game,
Leaving so few of us around.
Mother - I am ambassador
Of hope that humans keep in mind
That too soon there might be no more
Of us rhinos of any kind.

C'mon world and heed the dire warn,
And grab save rhinos by the horn.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Chicago - "The Clock Mender"

The Marshall Field's Department Store,
In Chicago's Loop on State Street
Got a big Norman Rockwell score,
"The Clock Mender" did time entreat.
A repairman on ladder high,
Using his pocket watch to set
The time Chicago time went by.
After published, Rockwell let
The painting gifted to the store.
The store now gone, what did become
Of the painting? - it was bound for
Chicago's History Museum.

Chicago icons, understand,
Are always set in time by hand.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Chicago - of Stinky Roots

Shikaakwa was a stinky plant
In Miami/Illinois land.
When the food sources were scant,
'Twas eaten by the tribal band.
The plants did grow abundantly
Along the shores of a great lake.
When there the natives had to be ,
'Twould hold noses for stinky sake.
There was a large river nearby.
Natives could leave fast in canoes.
While being there most would ask why.
'Twas not the place that most would choose.

This place native wild onions grow,
Grew the city of Chicago.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

If Bit Have Wit

A scarlet king snake is my name,
Multi colored from tail to head,
Of shiny scales, my body frame -
Black and white and yellow and red.
Oft confused with the coral, my cuz,
Venomous, while I be mellow.
If bit, here is the rhyme that does -
Red on yellow, kill a fellow.
But red on black, venom it lack.
So if I bite you, some time give
To note my bands be red on black.
Hopefully, you will let me live.

Just don't fret much if I bite you.
Just say the rhyme and then say, "Whew!"

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Flab Flub

Tiz on The View that pettiness
Is the dish that is oft dished out,
Stirring into a pool of cess,
Where chunky chicks do flail about.
The worst maybe, their joking bad
About the arts of a good nurse.
When some of the sponsors go mad,
Butts covered not to make it worse,
And "sorrys" spewed forth from their lips.
But they should have to pay the price -
Out the door with their ample hips.
Perhaps a fat farm would be nice.

Do a petty as petty do.
Do a big weight loss from The View.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Best Laid Plan

New hatched Chilean flamingo,
I guess I am a big to do.
An incubation made it so,
First chick hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo.
'Twas my best chance to healthy hatch,
And when I've gotten big and strong,
I'll join the flamingo flock, natch,
All in the pink of dance and song.
So excited are humans here,
So excited they even took
Some pix to highlight my premier,
So you can friend me on Facebook.

I'm being held in human palm,
By someone I guess must be Mom.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

They Fly South

Across the tundra vast and cold
There's warming, degree by degree.
And more and more of them unfold -
Mosquitoes in the Arctic be
Seeking the food source to survive.
Warm blooded mammals far and few,
Finding havens to stay alive.
What will wiser mosquitoes do?
And so each warmer season all
These bugs that live to bug much more,
Do heed the words of nature's call,
Further and longer than before.

They are a coming south by storm -
The Arctic flying vampire swarm.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Bee Abuzz - LP Zoo

We bee honeybees from the hive,
At the Farm in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Just a few weeks we bee alive
To buzz about for honey do.
When we find a good flower spot,
We give location of the plants.
A flapping wings we bee a lot,
In what is called a waggle dance.
Pollen and nectar bee brought back,
Each trip carry half our weight.
We bee sisterhood with a knack
Of being in a buzzy state.

To the red barn you bee welcome
To visit our sweet queendom.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Family for St. Francis

St. Francis of Assisi heard
And saw all nature had to give,
And sought to try by deed and word,
A better way for all to live.
Sisters and brothers all with worth,
Sharing a common place and time,
Under the care of Mother Earth.
Humans not in reason nor rhyme,
Destroying now the future for
Whatever life there is to be,
Ever wanting and wasting more.
So what to do humanity?

So much to do to make it so,
All that St. Francis once did know.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Babe Dot Com

I am a baby snow monkey,
Born and raised at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The computer booth beckons me.
Mom is showing me what to do.
A touch screen is inside the booth.
I tried at first to take a bite.
But it is hard and chipped my tooth.
Mom showed me how to touch it right.
On the screen, there's a black dot.
I'm s'posed to touch the dot by hand.
It seemed a waste of time a lot,
But then I came to understand.

Mom taught me if I touch the screen,
Then a treat pops out - hi tech's keen!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

The Longest Claw

Giant armadillo am I,
And what I like the best to eat,
I am the first to clarify,
Termites are my favorite treat,
For which I have most mammal teeth,
And longest claws to do the job,
Digging the buggers underneath,
And chew the buggers by the gob.
Up to eight inches my claws grow,
Up to a quarter length my bod.
So I dig digging  - doncha know!
Human clipped fingernails seem odd..

On a mission I am claw bound,
Happy meal in the termite mound.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

We Time - LP Zoo

Mr. and Mrs. Dwarf Mongoose,
Living in the Lincoln Park Zoo,
With family we have let loose,
So many children - what to do.
It's hard to get some time alone,
With all the kids running about.
There really is no haven zone
That we can go and long hang out.
We grab such moments as we can,
Like when the kids are all asleep,
Knowing that whatever the plan,
Too soon we'll have more kids to keep.

The more we get some privacy,
The more we have some family.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Pinky

I am the dolphin called Pinky,
Seen down Louisiana way.
Humans say albino I be,
So blood vessels show on display,
Pink through my skin with no pigment,
Due to mutation of some gene.
On this I just have no comment.
Humans are weird from what I've seen,
Always meddling in nature's why
That some of us are set apart.
I prefer staying out of eye
Of humans who think they're so smart.

To be or not to be, I think,
I just do be and do be pink.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Second to None

Queen Elizabeth the Second
Now has most seconds on the throne.
Math can be done if so beckoned -
1952 to now zone.
Great Britain has gone through much change,
The grand empire faded away.
Much of the new made old look strange,
But still "God save the Queen" did stay.
Through all the times of good and bad,
The Queen does serve her subjects well,
Through longest British reign be had,
The tick tock of the seconds tell.

Her majesty before, beyond,
No matter who's playing James Bond.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

On Sloth - LP Zoo

A sloth that's relatively new,
I'm getting the hang of the place
With Mom at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
So get accustomed to my face.
I stick my tongue out to say, "Hi,"
To Small Mammal House visitor.
So come and visit and stop by,
And soak up my cuteness galore.
Mom and I might be hanging from
The roof of the visitor hut.
We change positions, so look some -
Could see my face, could see my butt.

I'm satisfied that Mom's well hung.
There will be no sloth slip of tongue.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Maxi Minnie - LP Zoo

I am Minnie, the fennec fox.
The keepers keep schedules to do.
I know when it's time and I talks
To keepers at Lincoln Park Zoo.
Two pm at Small Mammal House,
I give in loud and certain voice.
Tiz time for my snack of a mouse.
If it is late I do curse choice.
Before this snack, I get checked out
By the keepers - my skin and fur.
Some tickling - their fingers about,
But worth the rodent treat for sure.

Scratch my belly - I'm grinnicky.
Do it right, cuz I'm finnicky.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Turtle Tooth -LP Zoo

An ornate box turtle am I,
Just hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
On my egg tooth I did rely
To crawl through egg shell and come through.
Shortly after, a human hand
Grabbed onto me to check me out.
I'm still too young to understand
What human beings' all about
I take the opportunity
To just relax and explore some.
I crawl around and then I be
Shelled out upon the human thumb.

Is this more shell I can impale?
Nope - tiz just a human thumb nail.