Sense Sonnet - Chiller

The Mary Celeste

'Twas in eighteen seventy two
Sailed the ship, the Mary Celeste,
Sailing from New York City to
Italy, the small ship progressed.
The ship was found drifting about,
Its cargo and supplies in tact,
But with humans, the ship without.
Ten souls just gone - that was a fact.
What happened to all those on board?
It still remains a mystery.
Lots of theories have been explored,
But nothing ever proven be.

Most humans that go on a sail
Do not end up in a weird tale.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Bear Out

The car door was unlocked, and so
I just decided to get in.
Was not my car, but who would know?
In a few strange cars, I have been.
I amused myself for a bit,
Mainly looked for something to eat.
Upholstery took quite a hit.
I did my bizness on the seat.
When bored, I tried to get back out,
But could not open the darn door.
Must have been badly made, no doubt,
Caused me to madly growl and roar.

I was glad the police got there,
And did let loose this locked in bear.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

The Shell of It All

A truck load of tortoises sped
Down the road to a railroad track.
The driver did not stop, instead
Just drove on like a maniac.
A train was coming round the bend,
A load of terrapins on board.
The engineer did try to send
A warning whistle loud forward,
But too late unfortunately.
The train did crash into the truck,
Causing a tragedy to be.
Shells did crack upon being struck.

Reported by a newscaster,
Oh what a turtle disaster.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Pokemon Go

The Pokemon Go app lets you go
Hunt for cartoon characters hid
In real locations, but will show
If you do as the app does bid.
You cannot do it from the couch,
But must go out into real world -
Time and place reality - ouch!
A whole new consciousness unfurled,
You will be juiced up to explore
New places thanks to phone hi tech,
Without which life would be a bore.
So give it a go - what the heck!

So turn the Pokemon Go app on,
And go where no one else has gone.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Professor Hank - LP Zoo

The Lincoln Park Zoo calls me Hank,
Always home to this chimpanzee.
My life is good here, so I thank
Being given purpose for me.
I can teach humans about life
For a chimp and the stuff we do
In times of ease, in times of strife.
No better classroom than the Zoo.
In the wild, all chimps love to eat
Termites, and dig them from a mound.
I show how we can do this feat -
The use of tools that does astound.

Of course the Zoo termites are fake,
But edible for goodness sake.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Snowy Owlet - LP Zoo

Snowy Owlet new hatched I be
At home in the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Mom and Dad take great care of me,
As I explore my world brand new.
Now eating solid food - that's nice,
That the Zoo keepers do provide
In the form of unthawed small mice.
Dad brings the mouse o'er to my side.
Mom makes the mouse into bite size,
And gives me lovingly each bite.
And close by lots of human eyes
Ooh and aah - I am a cute sight.

When you come visit me to seek,
Owlet you get a real good peek.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

Ogallala Aquifer

The Ogallala aquifer,
Ground water source in the Great Plains,
Since the last ice age does endure,
But less and less water remains.
Humans are pulling water out
Faster than nature can refill.
There soon will come a time, no doubt,
Deep waters no longer run still.
Crops in the field wither and die.
Water to grow food be a must.
The great wishing well goes to dry.
Humans cannot survive on dust.

Tomorrow will soon come too late.
Today humans spill our fate.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Leaves Me Be - LP Zoo

A browser, yes, this camel be
Browsing at the Lincoln Park Zoo,
Which be an oasis for me,
With a lot of browsing to do.
Leaves abound in my habitat,
Some growing high, some growing low.
I browse on those I can get at,
Without much effort - doncha know!
The leaves - a good energy source,
When I need a pick me up now,
Browsing more than I need, of course,
For future energy from chow.

The leaves I do browse by the clump
Are stored energy in my hump.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Happy Fourth - LP Zoo

Tiz another fourth of July.
I love this day, oh yes I do,
Brings a tear to this eagle's eye,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
A lot of humans come to share
Good in this Independence Day.
Red, white and blue is in the air,
Chicago and all U.S.A.
This wild eagle does fly no more,
Because of a wing injury.
But at the Zoo my spirits soar,
To live in the land of the free.

With an eagle's eye, I do peer
At the fireworks at Navy Pier.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Poop Patrol

I am a wolf not feeling well,
Pooping diarrhea a lot.
But here at the Zoo - who to tell
About the tummy ache I've got?
Lots of wolves in the Zoo do be,
So lots of poop is all around.
How will keepers know which poop's me?
An I.D.'s needed for my mound.
So what do the smart keepers do?
In my food they put glitter green.
My poop is tested by the Zoo,
And I'm back on the healthy scene.

All that does glitter is not gold -
Can be a way my health be told.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Emma M. Nutt

Who is Emma M. Nutt, you ask?
She was the first female who worked
Telephone operator task,
Cuz guys first hired, good manners shirked.
Alexander Graham Bell hired
Emma to work New England phones.
As a worker she was well wired.
Customers liked her pleasant tones.
Worked a fifty four hour week,
Ten dollars monthly pay she took.
Knew by heart in three decade streak
The New England telephone book.

Celebrated New England way,
September first - Emma Nutt Day.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Ring Hollow

My boyfriend gave a ring to me,
While we were driving in his car.
A ring was what I wished would be.
A teddy bear - I flung it far,
In anger to the road outside.
We stopped and my boyfriend got out.
Another car struck him - he died.
I felt it was my fault, no doubt.
I looked and found the teddy bear,
As they took my boyfriend away.
I hugged the gift close, then and there.
These words, the teddy bear did say,

"Will you marry me? There's something"
"Inside." I looked. It was a ring.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Pool Play - LP Zoo

It is a hot day - what to do
To keep this tiger awesome cool,
Outside here at Lincoln Park Zoo.
I'll take a dip in my own pool.
I really hate to splash alone.
But who's gonna go in with me?
Nothing that's made of flesh and bone.
How 'bout a ball - yep that can be.
I put on a great water show
Beating and bouncing on the ball.
I'm mister show biz - doncha know!
Cheered on by watching humans all.

The balls - they never seem to last.
I rip them up awful darn fast.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Samson's Revenge

The Bible says that God got mad
At the Hebrews and so allowed
The Philistines with all their bad
To take over as ruling crowd.
The Philistines worshiped a god
Called Dagon, and built temples to
This deity with a fish bod,
Causing the Hebrews to feel blue.
The Hebrew, Samson, rose to fame
Causing Philistines lots of woe.
But then Delilah's haircut came,
Philistines took Samson in tow.

When Samson did regrow his hair,
Dagon's temple Samson laid bare.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

The Enemy Within

A super bug that has the gene
MCR1 is gonna be
Front and center on the world scene,
Attacking all humanity.
The mobile gene can move around
From bug to bug and superfy
Bacteria to then abound
In human hosts and make each die.
To date humans have no defense.
There's no anti biotic known
To stop the spreading consequence
Of a world wide pandemic zone.

Now is the time that humans might
Better choose enemies to fight.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

StickToItiveness

This gecko goes in downs and ups,
Whatever surface on I be.
I got my feet like suction cups
To make the move on just for me.
At times I slip and slide around
On surfaces dusty or wet.
But I stick to where I be bound,
Once I do have my notions set.
There is no surface I do meet,
That if I take my time and place,
I can defeat it with me feet,
Whatever challenge I may face.

How will it go with this gecko?
Up and down in defeat - heck no!

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Swan On - LP Zoo

A trumpeter swan pair began
What has become Lincoln Park Zoo.
Through century and decades span
Has ever been tradition true.
When Mo's mate died he was the lone
Trumpeter swan in the Zoo pond.
For a while Mo was on his own.
Through matchdotzoo a mate was swanned.
Now Mo has Clover by his side.
The two are getting along swell.
Wing in wing the two sweethearts glide
At Lincoln Park Zoo, all is well.

Tradition trumpets through the air
From the new trumpeter swan pair.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Wild Dream - LP Zoo

A loyal Chicago home town boy,
Which baseball team do I root for?
Both Cubs and White Sox I enjoy.
I wish for both a win win score.
Will ever a World Series be
Crosstown in which these two teams play?
Ever a possibility,
Could be a happening one day.
And on that day, if still around,
I am not sure what I would do.
Upon my chest I'm sure I'd pound,
Felt throughout the Lincoln Park Zoo.

This gorilla can only dream,
No matter how wild such may seem.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Privy to History

In 1776
A Philadelphia house became
A tavern for a social mix,
Known as the Humphries place by name.
There was a privy dug outside
For patrons for relief to use.
Also a dump was satisfied
For broken dish of eats and brews.
Pieces of ceramic and glass
Centuries later got dug up,
For historians to amass
Fight for freedom on plate and cup.

Tossed in a privy long ago,
Now museum pieces on show.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Passing Past

Survivors of the Holocaust
In time and place of World War II,
Are dying one by one and lost
As voices of the truth each knew.
Living reminders soon will be
All dead and gone upon the Earth,
Causing more fading memory.
Will truth then, now have any worth?
Indifference to evil done
Only allows for evil more,
Harmful to each and ev'ry one,
Be one on one or a world war.

Ever be matter for all mind,
The evil done by humankind.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Fire Up

I am a firefly flying 'bout,
A lady of the evening, who
Is a looking for love, no doubt,
To do with he what we will do.
I sit upon a blade of grass.
A he flies down and sits by me.
Chemical light flashes we pass.
For hours - hard to get I be.
And then lights out, I say okay.
Together we mate, tail to tail.
Two beetles going all the way,
The one and only for this male.

And next evening, I'll get the itch
To seek a he and flip his switch.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Bastet

Ancient Egypt goddess, Bastet,
Through the ages got shifting role.
But in the end, her job was set.
Domestic cats became her goal.
Depicted with a human bod,
Topped off with the head of a cat,
Her temple worthy of a god,
On a Nile island, it was at.
Most of the mummies found therein
Were of beloved cats brought there so
Bastet's blessing, owners might win,
And off to bliss the cats would go.

Became the cat's meow - gee whiz!
Cat mummifying was big biz!

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Riddle Time Rhyme

A black cow is just standing there
In the middle of the road, when
'Round the corner a car does bear
At a fast speed and closing in
On the cow with no headlights on.
The makings of a tragedy
Are looming large to drop upon,
As a collision closer be.
But now just in the nick of time,
The driver sees the cow and breaks.
The question of this riddle rhyme -
How was the cow seen, for gosh sake?

The driver sees the cow - how now?
Becuz it is in daytime - wow!

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Blind Insight

My mother only had one eye.
That caused me great embarrassment.
Sometimes I wished that she would die -
She died in a car accident.
The doctor for my family
Wrote of a true story to tell,
Of what my mother did for me
When I was real young and not well.
In one of my eyes I went blind.
It was damaged beyond repair.
The only real hope was to find
A donated eye from somewhere.

My mother gave me much, for sure.
The donated eye was from her.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Best Man

We became best buddies in war,
Serving together side by side.
My buddy had to leave the Corps,
When wounded and he almost died.
But he recovered pretty well
At home, while I stayed on to fight,
Till my retirement time from hell.
We reunited - all was right.
I got to meet his future wife,
And she liked me and I liked her.
I got to share in their new life.
I was the best best man, for sure.

The wedding guests all stared at me.
A best man - yes, a dog can be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

New Stripes - LP Zoo

New daughter dear, I'm glad you're here.
A hundred pounds lighter I be.
When out you dropped I so did cheer,
Like looking at a little me.
Having a brand new daughter - wow!
It was a long wait, but worth while.
You've made this Mom so happy now.
We two girls will hoof it in style.
There will be crowds coming on by,
Hoping to see you on display.
And we will show them, you and I,
On how it's done the zebra way.

Here at Lincoln Park Zoo you are
Mom's daughter dressed in stripes - a star!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Give Dad a Kiss - LP Zoo

Tiz Father's Day - daughter and dad
Are spending some quality time.
Lots of special bonding be had,
As all around, the twosome climb,
Swinging together through the air.
Outside the habitat below,
People are watching the cute pair.
Both take a break from to and fro.
Before a picture taking crowd,
These sweet words the daughter does say,
Making her Dad feel very proud.
Monkeys celebrate Father's Day.

"This daughter's kiss is just for you,"
"Best Dad at the Lincoln Park Zoo."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Ramses - LP Zoo

Arabian sand cat I be,
Called Ramses by my human fans.
Come to Lincoln Park Zoo to see
Where I hold court in sandy spans.
Oft you'll find me in a cat nap,
Looking like a sweet pussy cat,
That you'd like to have in your lap.
Believe me, you would not like that.
My claws and bite are super strong,
As those who come too close find out.
Stay your distance, you can't go wrong.
I am an awesome sight - no doubt!

Visit me at Small Mammal House.
Try to be quiet as a mouse.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Rock On - LP Zoo

A lion lyin' on a rock,
For a human a sight to see.
But what's a sight to really shock
Are lions lyin' - one, two, three.
Zalika and Kamali, shes,
Are each stretched out and looking down.
Each on a rock, while Sahar, he's
On his rock throne, his mane his crown.
All three in pride are holding court
For human visitors to know,
And safely leave then to report
This trio does a roaring show.

The lions rock - that's what they do,
All the time at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Chicago - Buckingham Fountain

Buckingham Fountain, Chicago,
Considered the city's front door.
In Grant Park tiz a water show,
In sight of Lake Michigan shore.
1927 - a gift,
Made of pink marble that does hold
Six million liters splash to lift
Waters spread from basin bowled.
The center jet shoots water high,
Fifty meters up, up, away,
An awesome sight into the sky,
Sun or night lit upon display.

Always a wondrous sight to see,
Shows off Chicago, and it's free.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Chicago Pride - LP Zoo

The Lincoln Park Zoo reaches out
'Round the Chicago neighborhood,
To share of nature all about,
How human connect can be good,
Ever growing in time and place,
Spreading the truth of nature's worth,
Made better by the human race,
'Round the neighborhood, 'round the Earth.
Within the beauty of Zoo grounds,
Or in endeavors far and wide,
Bettering nature knows no bounds,
Lincoln Park Zoo is filled with pride.

Lincoln Park Zoo phenomenon,
The Pride of Chicago thrives on.