Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Rounder Astounder

On a river, a chunk of ice,
A frozen mass in winter's way,
Becoming a round disk very nice,
And, thanks to drones, on good display.
Three hundred feet wide swirling round,
As down the river it does go.
How did such happen to astound?
Inquiring minds do want to know.
The river currents, theory is,
Do spin the ice circularly,
And with warming and cooling biz,
Makes the ice disk reality.

A piece of Mother Nature's art,
Awesome until it breaks apart.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Hey, Hay! -  LP Zoo

Hey, this cow loves hay, yes I do.
I eat about a bale a day
At the Farm in Lincoln Park Zoo,
So oft I'm seen munching away.
At certain times visitors can
Give a handful of hay to me.
My tongue does sweep in a wide span,
Into my mouth the hay does be.
I chew a while and swallow, then
Bring back the hay to chew my cud,
Meaning to rechew hay again.
I don't know why - it's in my blood.

And hey, know from this hay I make
A bunch of milk for goodness sake.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Storm Play - LP Zoo

A winter snow storm - what to do!
For harbor seal Storm - time to play
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
And seal the deal in snow fun way.
Out of the water Storm does go,
And onto a snow covered rock,
And rolling over to and fro,
Turning into an awe and shock,
All covered in a winter white,
A spooky specter looming there,
Making for quite an eerie sight.
Storm watchers have to stop and stare.

And an added awesome, no doubt,
Snow covered whiskers sticking out.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Deep Blue

A great white shark known as Deep Blue,
Thought to be 'bout fifty years old.
At twenty feet long she's thought to
Be the largest such to behold.
Last seen in July of '18
Off of the coast of Mexico,
Then in the six months  'twixt and 'tween
Off to Hawaii she did go.
Humans swam near enough to touch
Deep Blue, not bothered that they'd come.
O'er the years she is used to such.
Deep Blue is certainly jawsome.

A Twitter account she has got.
Maybe she tweets or maybe not.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Hears Without Ears

The evening primrose plant does "hear"
Via its flowers shaped like bowls,
The wings of bees as they fly near.
For plants, bees play important roles,
Helping the plants to reproduce,
Taking pollen to pollinate.
So the primrose puts to good use
Its nectar as more sweetened bait,
To entice bees heard nearby be
Wanting to stop at the primrose,
And enjoy hospitality,
Assuring that more primrose grows.

Whenever there be bees around,
The primrose "hears" the bees' wings' sound.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

ADOPT Us - LP Zoo

We African painted dogs do
Get a kick out of seeing it,
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,
A plush that looks like us - a hit!
The little human kids do bring
Theses cute stuffed toys to us to show
The look a like to the real thing.
This helps support us - doncha know!
ADOPT us and a plush you get,
And part of the price that you pay
Helps assure that great care is met
For us each and every day.

A plush of us we would enjoy,
Cuz it would make a great chew toy.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Termite Do Right

Do termites do anything good?
Researchers say that yes they do,
And actually help living wood
When times of drought are going through.
Termites dig tunnels through the ground,
Allowing the soil to aerate,
And retain moisture all around,
Keeping the trees in healthy state.
Droughts are becoming more severe.
Termites can play a buffer role,
So forests might not disappear.
Termites can lessen the death toll.

Just when you thought termites all bad,
Some good stuff from them can be had.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Charlie Turns 5 - LP Zoo

Charlie, the grey seal, did turn five
On New Year's Day twenty nineteen.
He sealed the deal and partied live
In the Lincoln Park Zoo home scene.
He ate a special cake of fish
As all his well wishers looked on,
And barked to all it was delish.
Quite a high five phenomenon
When Charlie used his flipper to
Smack the rock five times to count down
How many new years he'd been through,
Most of those in Chicago town.

Happy Birthday, Happy New Year,
Charming Charlie filled with good cheer.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

The Blobs

All oceans of the world beware
Climate change in increased degrees,
More heat absorbed from warmer air,
Causing disruption and disease.
The warmer water does allow
Toxic algae to bloom and thrive,
Causing the sea life here and now
To struggle more so to survive.
Nicknamed "The Blobs" the algae float
In huge armadas far and wide,
Engulfing all in deadly coat.
The disaster can't be denied.

The Blobs do come, The Blobs do go,
What to do, nobody does know.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Smart Toilet

A smart toilet can soon be had,
Eight thousand bucks for discrete black.
Fully immersive says the ad,
Included in one relief pack.
As the user approaches it,
Selected music starts to play,
And ambient lighting is lit.
The outside lid opens away,
A warm cushy seat does await
For the user to sit upon.
The user can communicate
With Internet and get it on.

The ad says it's user hands free,
So hi tech wiping there must be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

The Repeater

Radio waves that do repeat
Have been bursting from outer space,
For years in mysterious beat,
"The Repeater" - a baffling case.
So excited scientists are
Theorizing if this or that,
And trying to pinpoint the star
Where the source may be nearest at.
Ah yes, a puzzle to be solved,
"The Repeater" hopefully will
Repeat as science is evolved,
Curiosity to fulfill.

Perhaps repeat messages be,
"Coming to pick you up, E.T."

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Lonely George

On New Year's Day, twenty nineteen
The last and Lonely George did die.
Hawaiian tree snail left the scene,
At age 14 he bid goodbye.
In a breeding facility
All the other such snails had died.
Humans searched unsuccessfully
To find for George a groom or bride.
George, a hermaphrodite, would need
A he or she to make offspring.
But none were found to do the deed,
Leaving George with solo snailing.

With Lonely George now dead and gone,
No Hawaiian tree snails live on.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Sins of Solomon

King Solomon did age in sin,
Amassing wives and wealth and worse -
Letting other deities in,
So the God of Israel did curse
The fate of Solomon's kingdom
For sins that Solomon had done,
Taking 10 of the 12 tribes from
Solomon's successor, his son.
The Bible says Solomon knew
Of this planned punishment divine,
And there was nothing he could do
To make amends for his royal line.

When Solomon died naturally,
His mighty kingdom ceased to be.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

The Loneliest Kicker

On the way to the Super Bowl,
In the first play off is the team.
All is heart and body and soul,
Closer to making true the dream.
In the final seconds left in,
Dependent on a field goal kick.
If the kick's good the team does win,
If the kick's bad - all over quick.
A forty two yarder it be.
The kicker has done it before.
The kick looks good but then - oopsy,
Hits the crossbar and fails to score.

The kicker knows he lost the game.
Forever he will bear the blame.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

Where's the Crust?

Earth is missing a bunch of crust
That should have been found 'twixt and 'tween
Certain time periods and it's just
A mystery what this must mean.
Where did all this rock layer go?
Geoscientists theorize
Ice then covered the planet, so
Roaming glaciers were on the rise,
And pushed the crust down deep into
The oceans where 'twas buried deep
Beneath  tectonic plates askew
From time and place it used to keep.

Called The Great Unconformity,
A big ice ball the Earth did be.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

From Leafa and Phoenix - LP Zoo

This is Leafa reporting in.
Phoenix and I are doing well.
Our habitat will open
On Valentine's Day, we hear tell.
Both of us red pandas sure do
Miss all of you fine folks a lot.
'Twas good times at Lincoln Park Zoo.
And now good times and friends we've got
Here in North Carolina, so
Hope you can come and visit soon
At the Nature Center and know
All is well in our commune.

And when you come here who can say
More babies may be on the way.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Winter Escape - LP Zoo

A golden breasted starling, I
Do perch in the Bird House, I do,
And watch as the winter goes by
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Outside the winter grey and white,
An icy chill is in the air.
Inside the Bird House, colors bright,
A place to warm up while you're there.
And I and other birds will sing
To take away your winter blues,
And give you happy thoughts of spring,
Such sights and sounds that will enthuse.

Come on inside and do indeed
For a fun spell be winter freed.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Luigi Welcomes 2019 - LP Zoo

Twenty eighteen has come and gone.
Twenty nineteen has made the scene.
Time to party and get it on.
I chew on lettuce 'twixt and 'tween.
I hear the keepers call my name,
"Luigi, guess what's here for you?"
This sloth is quick on the mind game
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
Human hands with lettuce come by.
I take a pause and open wide,
And lovely lettuce leaves from high
Turn into tasty treats inside.

Chewing lettuce is chewing cheer.
Lettuce have a Happy New Year.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

A Royal Villain

Egypt's Pharaoh during the time
Of Moses and the Exodus
Was punished by God for his crime
Bullying Israelites, and thus
The Pharaoh's first born son did die
During the final plague that came.
Pharaoh would not understand why.
Israelites suffered with his blame.
Historians are still not sure
Exactly who the Pharaoh be
That made the Israelites endure
So many years of cruelty.

Ramses the Second leads the list
As the villain that hist'ry hissed.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Continent Crossing

Challenge - twenty eighteen the year,
And o'er Antarctica the place.
Solo skiers cross the frontier,
O'Brady and Rudd make the race.
Over nine hundred miles each ski,
Via the south pole 'twist and 'tween.
O'Brady the winner does be,
First to make the solo trek scene.
The two men braved the trek across
The frozen swirling world of white,
Their bodies weakened by weight loss,
No nature mercy for their plight.

The first and second place the score,
Both in annals of polar lore.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Goliath Blues

I, Goliath, got a bad rap
In that fight on that fateful day.
Those sneaky Israelites did tap
A young short kid to come my way.
I recall David as his name,
Armed with only a mere slingshot,
I, armored and speared, did feel  shame.
I was stuck in a no win lot.
While I did ponder what to do,
The kid flung a stone  at my head.
I hit the ground and kind of knew
That rotten kid had struck me dead.

Now I go down in history
As just a big bad dude bully.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Ultima Thule

NASA's New Horizons probe be
Flying by Ultima Thule,
A billion miles past Pluto - gee!
The probe has come quite a long way.
Ultima Thule got the name,
And does mean beyond the known world.
The farthest that explorers came
From Earth into the heavens hurled.
Believed to be a frozen rock,
When the solar system formed first.
It was a cast off building block,
Along with many interspersed.

Hopefully, New Horizons can
Send some pictures - that is the plan.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Just Look at Me - LP Zoo

This snow monkey does like to do
Touchscreen computing - I've the touch
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
I've got it down, I've practiced much.
It is a game I like to play,
Hit the right sequence on the screen,
And then I know will come my way -
An edible treat pops on scene.
There be a mirror right next to me
Where I can glimpse my skilled technique,
And watch just how awesome I be.
Yes, I do take many a peek.

I watch myself computing fine,
This monkey do, this monkey shine.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Seals Seize the Season

Tiz the season to be jolly
Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.
We seals seal the deal, by golly,
Munch on holiday treats we do.
In spirit the keepers keep us
In treats in the water afloat.
So we do celebrate Christmas,
Splashing about in happy note.
Some visitors do watch nearby
As we put on a water show.
None of us seals are very shy
When treats are involved - doncha know!

We seals - both the harbors and grays
Wish you all Happy Holidays.

Sense Sonnet - Tickler

Off Script

At the Cottonbowl football game
The national anthem was played.
Then a trained bald eagle took aim,
Soaring around the crowd dismayed
When the eagle went rogue and lit
Upon varied fans here and there.
But nobody was hurt a bit
By the eagle's greetings to share.
No doubt big bird did steal the show.
The crowd applauded with great zest.
To handler the eagle did go,
A memory made at its best.

Surprise - the eagle has landed
On each side's fans - even handed.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

Sears & Roebuck

Mr. Sears met Mr. Roebuck,
While selling time watches by mail.
In 1893 by luck
They partnered together for sale,
Doing something that was unique -
Publishing a sales catalog,
Letting the public take a peek,
Consumer excitement agog!
Pages full of products galore,
And stated as a bargain price,
Much better than the local store,
Mailing for orders was so nice.

The forerunner to Amazon,
Sears & Roebuck alas is gone.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

An Ending Reign

The monarch butterfly does fly
Three thousand miles or more each year.
North and south, back and forth the sky
Fills spring and fall as they appear.
But less and less of them are seen.
Climate change and habitat loss,
Two reasons that do intervene
To cause a fatal double cross.
Only one plant the monarchs eat,
The milkweed is under attack
By manmade toxins that excrete
Poisons and monarchs don't come back.

Monarch butterflies may soon be
Only a lovely memory.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Gifts from the Magi

A bright star led three wise men to
The place where baby Jesus be.
They bore gifts to the new King true,
Gold, frankincense and myrrh, the three.
From India came King  Gaspar,
From Persia came King Melchior,
Arabia's King Balthazar.
Gifts given known forevermore,
Gifts from the magi represent
Human connection to divine.
More than just a by chance was meant,
A true miracle by design.

These three wise men did come, did go,
Part of the hope we've come to know.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Pricey Degree

M.A. degree in English Lit,
One hundred thousand bucks in debt,
And soon after the fan was hit,
No good paying job could I get.
I waited tables during day,
And took drink orders during night,
But still was unable to pay
The student loans that squeezed me tight.
My parents who cosigned my loans
Went broke and into bankruptcy.
Our future now my past owns.
It is a grim reality.

My family now it does seem
Nightmared the American dream.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

Lunar Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve in '68
Into a lunar orbit went
Three Earthlings in Apollo 8,
Truly a great travel event.
And the travelers took a snapshot
Of Earth rising over the moon,
A postcard sent that showed a lot
Of time and place so opportune.
The marbled beauty of the Earth
Leaping from the darkness of space,
A picture of eternal worth
For all humanity to face.

Yes, a moment to celebrate,
And the future to contemplate.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

Pyrocumulonimbus

Pyrocumulonimbus cloud
Can form above a fire vortex,
Billowing like a ghostly shroud,
And with the fire's updraft connects,
Causing winds to intensify,
Causing a fire tornado rare,
Spinning violently through the sky,
A double demon to all there.
A twirling inferno so intense,
Just one documented so far,
Two thousand three, Australia - hence
A phenomenon quite bizarre.

Now with increasing climate change,
Fire tornadoes won't be so strange.