Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Diner Beware

Harry and Joe stop by to eat
At a diner, and put their coats
On a rack and then take a seat.
Joe notices a sign in quotes,
"We are not responsible for"
"Your belongings that disappear."
Joe eyes the coat rack more and more,
Causing an awkward atmosphere,
Irritated, Harry does say,
"Watching the coats, I don't see why"
"You need act in this silly way."
And in response, Joe does reply,

"I'm only watching mine, you know."
"Yours was stolen a while ago."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Believe it to Beaver - LP Zoo

I be a beaver, so I do
A lot of swimming in my pool.
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
I'm watched by humans, but that's cool.
The humans come all shape and size,
Faces pressed against the glass wall.
Seeing me seems to vitalize
These nice visitors, one and all.
And so I swim close to the glass
To give those near a special thrill,
Who wave excited as I pass.
A nice memory, I fulfill.

A busy beaver, yes I be,
But always time for you from me.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

International Sloth Day '18 - LP Zoo

International Sloth Day in
The year of two thousand eighteen.
Sloth Luigi juts forth his chin
And with jaws open 'twixt and 'tween
Lets us let lettuce be hand fed.
Luigi does happily chew,
Hanging with his upside down head
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
It is Luigi's way to be
In a celebratory mode,
And though sloths tend to move slowly,
Luigi's chewing never slowed.

Lettuce with Luigi's a hit,
Whatever day - a perfect fit.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Conserving Trumpeter Swans - LP Zoo

Trumpeter swans need help, they do,
To build their numbers in the wild.
Help does come from Lincoln Park Zoo,
So nature might be reconciled.
The Zoo raises chicks newly hatched
Until they be healthy and strong,
And then when ready are dispatched
In the midwest to sing their song,
And be able to live so that
Their population once more can
Thrive freely in wild habitat,
And fly the skies in wider span.

Let more trumpeter swans abound
To live with us in sight and sound.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad - LP Zoo

Oriental fire-bellied toad,
I do a belly up I do,
If I do get a threatened goad
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
My tummy is colored like fire,
In bright orange and yellow and red,
So predators who might desire
To eat me go elsewhere instead.
Of course here at the Zoo there be
No threatening predators that
Would cause a belly up in me.
I feel safe in my habitat.

So normally when I am seen,
It's sitting upright, mostly green.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Lettuce Lesson - LP Zoo

Luigi, the sloth, loves lettuce.
He would watch Mom when he was young,
Chewing the green as a net plus
As being tasty to the tongue.
Mom would tell Luigi to wait
Till older and then he could too
Let lettuce come at a good rate
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Luigi grew up sure enough,
And dreams of lettuce became real,
As into his mouth he would stuff
Bunches of lettuce - what a deal!

Let us watch lettuce disappear
When to Luigi it comes near.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Hang Out and Sing Along - LP Zoo

A hanging on I like to do
While I do sing my song at dawn.
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo
This white cheeked gibbon does hang on.
And when I do begin my song,
My family joins in as well,
And we have a group sing along,
As notes and swings we do propel.
The morning song does not long last,
But hang on for a dusk encore.
Swinging through the day does go fast,
And I promise we will sing more.

I am Caruso and I sing,
As through my time and place I swing.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Evolution on Trial

1925, Tennessee,
The Scopes Monkey Trial did take place.
John Scopes, teacher, accused to be
A violator in a case
Of teaching evolution in
A public school against the law,
And against the Bible in sin,
Causing a legal battle raw.
Famed Clarence Darrow for the defense,
And William Jennings Bryan for
The prosecution gave a sense
Of national headlines galore.

Scopes was found guilty and was fined.
No where did monkeys seem to mind.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Ricko Weighs In - LP Zoo

Ricko, the rhino, I am big,
Doing my weigh in, yes I do.
Getting weighed is part of my gig
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
The keepers keep me on my toes,
Standing on my extra large scale.
Quick and easy my weighing goes,
Adding up pounds from head to tail.
My weigh in is voluntary.
It's up to me whether to weigh.
I get some treats to entice me,
So I weigh in and say okay.

My exact weight - I don't mention,
A big guy, give or take a ton.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Pose Pause - LP Zoo

I love to toot my horn, I do.
I toot it in a tasteful way
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
To toot up a mouthful of hay.
As upon my hay I do munch,
I watch the humans watching me,
Snapping pictures of me a bunch,
And of course I smile politely.
I am never camera shy,
Snap shotted is part of my gig.
Humans like pix - I don't know why,
But that's a thing with them that's big.

And so when a camera shows
This rhino gives an awesome pose.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Ruka the Leaper - LP Zoo

Black and white colobus monkey,
Ruka is less than one year old.
Her names means "leap" in Swahili.
She is truly a leaper bold.
Lincoln Park Zoo is where she's at,
With her family she is found.
In their Primate House habitat
Ruka is leaping all around.
At times she'll do a peek-a-boo
From a hammock a way up high,
Then off she will leap in full view,
Whirlwind of motion on the fly.

Come visit Ruka and watch her,
And she will amaze you for sure.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Pygmy Slow Loris - LP Zoo

A pygmy slow loris I be
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
With my big eyes nocturnally,
I do my stuff in dark I do,
Eating mostly insects and plants.
Though slow I can be quick to eat,
Causing a surprise circumstance
For unsuspecting bugs I meet.
Gland secretions from my elbow
Mixed with my saliva do make
For a noxious toxin, and so
Don't mess with me for safety sake.

I may well give a toxic bite
To whomever turned on that light!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Wrapper - LP Zoo

I be a wrapper, yes I be.
I like to wrap around, I do,
A branch a branching from a tree
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
A green tree python, yes I am
In the category of snake,
An awesome green upon exam,
Quite a beautiful sight I make.
Once I get my wrap around right,
My bod a pillow, I can rest
My head and take in sound and sight
From a vantage point I find best.

Visit me in my habitat
And try to find where I'm wrapped at.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Maku the Smasher - LP Zoo

I am pumpkin smasher Maku.
This rhino turns a pumpkin flat
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
A habit in my habitat
Ev'ry year in the time of fall
When keepers give me pumpkins for
The sure result of smashing all,
And making pumpkin pies galore.
Sometimes by foot, sometimes by head,
And sometimes by a body roll,
I do apply pressure and spread
That pumpkin flat as is my goal.

Now is the time to visit me
And see pumpkin smasher I be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Fall for Me - LP Zoo

I do love Fall Fest, yes I do,
I always carve out time for that
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
With pumpkins in my habitat.
Fall is fun in all sight and sound.
The keepers keep me busy, and
Means of enrichment do abound
For my partaking close at hand.
I never know what I may find
To celebrate the festive fall.
Visitors watch but I don't mind.
I welcome watchers one and all.

This gorilla's happy to be
The center of attention - me!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Rollie is 22 - LP Zoo

Gorilla lady Rollie is
Turning terrific 22,
Doing her growing older biz
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
A caring mate and Mom she's done
So much good stuff through all her years.
Always a trooper, she's the one
In high spirits, spreading good cheers.
Yes, a Happy Birthday Rollie,
And may you have a super time
With your family, by golly,
As 'round your habitat you climb.

You always stand out Rollie girl,
With your reddish colored head curl.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Moth Must

Why is a moth attracted to
A lit lamp or other light bright?
Nocturnal, moths evolved to do
Travel by glimmer of moon light.
But artificial bright lights act
As a super stimulant, and
Lures the moth in a false attract
That the moth cannot understand.
Once at the bright light the moth just
Stays till killed or the light goes out.
In the moth's mind just stay it must.
A moth is not too bright, no doubt.

The tale of moth and lamp is one
Indeed of fatal attraction.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Columbus Day Controversy

October, the second Monday,
Columbus Day proclaimed to be
A holiday the U.S. way,
Focused on non reality.
Italians did lobby until
FDR and the government
Gave into the lobbying will,
And gave Columbus Day consent.
Columbus and his sailors came
To the Americas and were
Prime examples of human shame,
Mistreating the locals for sure.

To celebrate Columbus is
To celebrate some nasty biz.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Peek Down - LP Zoo

It is a game of peek-a-boo
That this ostrich does like to play
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
A super peeker all the way.
The alpacas do live next door,
And at them I do often peek.
With my long neck I can see o'er,
As with my big eyeballs I seek.
The alpacas are used to me
Eyeballing them from here and there,
And over time have come to be
Okay with peek-a-boos we share.

And with you we will do the same.
We will play the peek-a-boo game.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Waddle Winner - LP Zoo

I like to waddle, yes I do
When this penguin is on the ground
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
I like to waddle all around.
The Chicago Marathon is
Today, and I do hope to be
Busy doing my waddle biz
In the waddle category.
All the penguin colony here
Do really encourage me on,
And when I waddle by they'll cheer
Me loudly in the Marathon.

When you see me, please cheer also.
I'll wave my wing as by I go.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Bex is 12 - LP Zoo

Bex, the puma, Happy Birthday,
October 1st and twelve years old.
An orhaned cub, she made her way
Surviving in Wyoming cold,
Until some humans rescued her,
And she began her life anew,
As an ambassador for sure,
At home in the Lincoln Park Zoo.
A melon in a box her gift,
Which she of course did pounce upon,
And ripped apart in fashion swift,
As lots of humans did look on.

Happy Birthday and go girl Bex.
You give us all special effects.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

Bran Castle

Bran Castle perches on a hill
In Transylvania, and is billed
As a place where Dracula will
Be the talk of tales blood thirst filled.
Towers and turrets rising high
Since time in the 14th century,
Could be a place where the fanged guy
Could have gone on a sucking spree.
Tourists come and party away,
And do so in the dark of night,
With fancy drinks and a D.J.,
Of Dracula there is no fright.

But one night could come a surprise,
Dracula once again might rise.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Family on the Move - LP Zoo

The red panda family do
The checking into this and that
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
Moving about their habitat.
The red pandas up and down climb
Over the branches through the trees,
On the move in this place and time,
All surefooted, along they breeze.
Mom and Dad and daughter and son,
A family outing for sure,
Participating in the fun
Of exploring, taking a tour.

Yes, the red panda family
Have lots to do and lots to see.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Uncle Sam Persona

The persona of Uncle Sam
Ended up with a tall old guy
In fancy attire on exam,
A top hat starred on his head high,
A red bow tie on his white shirt,
Under a swallow tailed blue coat.
Red and white striped trousers exert
A patriotic hue to note.
Sporting long and curly white hair,
White moustache and long white goatee,
Bushy white eyebrows that do flare,
U.S symbol he came to be.

All dressed up in red, white and blue.
This old white guy says, "I want you."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Salt Search

A butterfly flies through the air,
Searching for some salt to consume.
Nectar does not have much salt there,
So no need to search out a bloom.
The butterfly needs some salt for
Keeping a body balance, so
Searching for a source it does soar
Until a source of salt might show.
The butterfly down below spies
A turtle sleeping on a stone.
Yes, the butterfly does surmise,
A source of salt may now have shown.

Fresh from flight this butterfly nears
To take a taste of turtle tears.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Mouth piece - LP Zoo

This lioness does open wide
To give a yawn 'bout this or that.
My mouth is quite a source of pride
To show off in my habitat.
Of course my fearsome teeth do show
All the better to rip and chew.
But also just to let you know,
My long pink tongue has much to do,
Covered in sharp and tiny spines,
Help me to swallow down my prey,
And act like a brush that aligns
For fur grooming in a neat way.

Perhaps I'll open wide for you
When you visit Lincoln Park Zoo.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

The Young and Wet - LP Zoo

The young snow monkeys, yes they do
Seem to enjoy the water pool
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
A younger generation cool!
The three younger ones all born here,
Unlike the older from Japan,
Often in the pool do appear,
Bridging the generation span.
The keepers do help to entice
The young monkeys to take a dip
By putting in the water, rice,
To encourage a water trip.

Come watch these monkeys come and go
In and out of their water show.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Fourth of July, some celebrate
At Coney Island where there be
A contest of most hot dogs ate,
1916 began this spree.
Contestants have 10 minutes to
Stuff down all the dogs that they can.
74 downed dogs now do
Hold the record o'er decades span.
Besides bragging rights, the main prize,
The "bejeweled" mustard yellow belt,
But not for wearing - no surprise,
In taste displayed - not worn as belt.

A very short contest, no doubt.
The dogs go in fast, later out.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Hindsight

Yellow swallowtail butterflies
See with their genitals - do tell!
This does allow them to surmise
By seeing light how to do well.
When they mate, they do face away,
So to line up the male does use
His genital sight to display
The proper lineup for to dos.
These photo receptors allow
A high percent of success rate,
One good reason for better how
This butterfly species should mate.

In order to get mating right,
These butterflies do need hindsight.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

A Star Reborn

Actress, Patricia Neal, did go
Through a series of strokes that
In 1965 was so
Bad healthwise she found herself at
Having to learn basics once more,
Like walking and talking, but she
Did persevere and did restore
Herself back to recovery.
In '68 she acted in
The film, "The Subject was Roses,"
And was able to once again
Be great as the movie discloses.

She battled back from the forlorn,
Patricia Neal, a star reborn.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

World Gorilla Day '18 - LP Zoo

The gorilla family do
Celebrate World Gorilla Day
At home in the Lincoln Park Zoo,
Together in a happy way.
Dad, Kwan, the silverback does lead
His family in party time,
Three Moms, three daughters, yes indeed,
Youngest Bella is on a climb.
The habitat is all decked out
In decorations of good cheer,
And lots of edibles no doubt
For a real feel good atmosphere.

World Gorilla Day does sure be
Good for all in the family.