Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 "Hi" Time - LP Zoo

I be a busy beaver who

Keeps a watchful eye on all that,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Does happen in my habitat.

As I am swimming 'round my pool

When I go by the window glass

I'm the type of friendly guy who'll

Wave to watchers there I pass.

Humans, 'specially the young tots,

Get a kick out of waving back.

As I make my rounds there are lots

Of waves while on my swimming track.

No matter how busy I be,

There's a "Hi" time to you from me.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Walk on the Wild Side - LP Zoo

This Bactrian camel does do

A walk around the yard in snow

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

I am surefooted as I go.

I have two broad toes on each foot

Which have undivided soles that

Provide lots of balance input,

As I walk 'round my habitat,

Spreading out widely like snowshoes,

Allowing me to walk quite well.

And my footing I do not lose

In any weather where I dwell.

From Mongolia come my kind,

Feet for snow and sand well designed.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Embracing Winter - LP Zoo

Cinereous vulture, Linda, be,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Perched upon a limb of a tree.

With outstretched wings she does pursue

The happening  of warmth and glow

Of a winter's bright sunny day.

All about her are piles of snow.

A lot of white is on display.

Linda embraces this time that

All is sunny, calm and serene,

Giving her in her habitat

The urge to spread her wings on scene.

Linda, with her wings fully spanned,

Embracing winter's wonderland. 

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Snowdy Odie - LP Zoo

Bunches of fresh snow - what to do!

Odie, the otter, ought to know

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Heads up for playing in the snow.

All of Odie's senses are keen.

His touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight

Are primed up in the winter scene,

As he surrounds himself in white.

The piles of snow, a playground that

Captures the body, mind and soul

Of Odie in his habitat,

A time and place for rock and roll.

Odie, the otter, playfully

Welcomes the fresh snow otterly. 

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 A Higher Perspective - LP Zoo

I am a short snow monkey that

Oft is looking for better view

Near and far in my habitat

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Since I am young I know I can

Get away with a lot of stuff.

In order to improve my span

When I don't think I see enough,

Older, taller snow monkeys be

Available for me to use,

To improve on what I can see

In elevated point of views.

For better view I often tread

On another snow monkey's head.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Fritillaria Delavayi

This is a Chinese herb plant that

Has medicinal qualities.

Wild in high mountain habitat,

It has been sought for centuries

By humans plucking its bulbs, and

With bright flowers and leaves it be

Easy to find sprouting from land.

So this plant genetically

Is becoming  more brown and gray

To blend in with the ground around,

To camouflage in such a way

So it's not so easily found.

Apparently this plant can sense

The need to change for self defense.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Hiram Rhodes Revels

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the man,

1870 was the date,

A first of politics began,

And Mississippi was the state.

As was the system then in place,

It was the state legislature

To make appointment in this case,

Very controversial for sure.

As a U.S. Senator new,

He went to Washington, D.C.

Much debate the Senate did do,

Whether the Revels seat should be.

U.S. history does look back,

Senator Revels, the first black.

Sense Sonnet - Steamer

 Cancel Culture

Cancel culture we hear a lot,

And seems a term meant to define

When there be a girl or boycott,

And ostracize off and online

Some outspoken ones who do dare

To freely speak in such a way,

They're judged guilty for what they share

And consequences they must pay.

They and their families must be

Cancelled from the culture in shame,

And taught that their speech is not free

When others set rules of the game.

Is cancel culture right or wrong?

Better not ask - just go along.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Fish Owl Pair

Mr. and Mrs. fish owl be

A mated pair in north Japan

In the cold of January,

Place and time for their courting plan.

'Twixt and 'tween their fishing sojourns

For food in icy waters of

Rivers, the giant birds feel yearns

To vocalize in song of love.

The male calls twice in note of "hoo."

The female replies one "hoo" back.

Instinctively, duet to do,

Noting their courtship is on track.

Wintry breezes carry along

In time and place the fish owl song.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Minnie and the Snowman - LP Zoo

A treat for Minnie, the tree shrew,

That a keeper made just for her

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Gets Minnie's attention for sure.

A snowman that is 'bout the size

Of a squirrel, the same size that be

Minnie, and it is no surprise

Minnie has curiosity.

'Specially when she senses that

Tasty food has been stuck upon

This snowman in her habitat,

A check it out phenomenon.

Minnie checks out and she does know

Thar's goodies in them balls of snow!

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Herring Today, Gone... - LP Zoo

Ethan, the bald eagle, does do

A sighting of a herring fish

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

And knows should be a snack delish.

He knows the keepers keep him well

Supplied with healthy food to eat.

So when there's fishy sight and smell,

Ethan's up for downing the treat.

It is Chicago winter, so

The herring fish is frozen cold.

But nonetheless Ethan's gung ho,

And his sharp beak takes a fish hold.

After some ripping and tearing,

Ethan chows down on the herring.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 New Naked Mole Rats '21 - LP Zoo

Naked mole rats - a litter new

Of six pups are crawling about

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Making their presence known no doubt,

As they crawl over older ones,

Who seem to be okay with that,

Patient with new daughters and sons

Busy about the habitat.

It's been a decade since there's been

A new litter of mole rats here,

A welcome time to have again

More of these little ones appear.

The young pups are learning to be

Part of all in the family.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron was a baseball great.

He broke the Babe Ruth record for

Home runs - '73 the date,

And kept on hammering out  more.

Being black he suffered a lot

Of racism through his career.

But to the watching world he brought

A nature filled with grace and cheer.

Out on the field Hank gave his all.

And off the field Hank strove to be

In life as well as in baseball,

A person filled with dignity.

A gentleman we all can thank.

Rest in Peace great "Hammerin' Hank."

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Stripes in Play - LP Zoo

We zebras do like snow, we do,

For a fun playground sure enough,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Over a foot of the white stuff.

And outside in it we do go,

Playing a game of hide and seek,

Easily hiding in the snow

In so much white out so to speak.

So many hiding places that

Are here when all this snow's around,

Dumped on the outside habitat,

Making a snowfall fun playground.

We seek each other with delight,

Seeking black stripes in all the white.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Misplaced Faith

I handle a venomous snake,

My faith in God's power to show

A believer's action to take,

Because the Bible tells me so.

Written in the Gospel of Mark

The Good Book tells me this to do

To enable me to embark

On proving that God's word is true.

I take a venomous snake from

A container in which it be,

And hold it so as to welcome

Divine protection over me.

I was bit by the copperhead.

A short time later I was dead.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Warmer Upper - LP Zoo

Aruba Island rattlesnakes,

We oft be a party of two,

Giving the watchers doubletakes

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

In the habitat we do meet

And weave around each other so

We share each other's body heat

In a tangled together show.

And thus we can be for a while,

Until one of us makes a move

To slither from the twosome pile,

Opting out of the warmup groove.

Unless provoked we cause no harm.

Watch us away while we get warm.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Getting in the Mood - LP Zoo

Couple, Talini and Siku,

Together polar bearing up

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Rolling around in the snow - yup!

Time for romance is the reason

For this polar bear pair to go

Romp in the snow - tiz the season

For this mating instinct to show.

Giving love bites is just one way

To get each other in the mood.

Nothing like some friendly foreplay

'Twixt and 'tween this damsel and dude.

Time and place these polar bears can

Work on future family plan.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 First Out - LP Zoo

I am a Japanese macaque.

I'm known as a snow monkey too.

And I'm always on the fast track

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

When fresh snow does begin to fall,

One sure fact to count on is that

I will be the first one of all

Seen in the outside habitat

To welcome in the falling snow.

My fur coat keeps me warm enough

To bear the cold, and I'm gung ho,

Surrounded by the new white stuff.

Other snow monkeys will come out

To join me in snow fun no doubt.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Snow Romp - LP Zoo

We do romp in the snow, we do.

We cow girls having lots of fun

At the Farm in Lincoln Park Zoo,

As lots of "moo"ving romp be done.

We chase each other round and round

The barnyard through chilly white stuff.

A robust trio be snow bound

Just for fun - there's plenty enough.

When we saw the snow start to fall,

We knew that it was time to go

Outside for a romp, one and all.

It's always fun time when there's snow.

Whenever there is a snow day,

We three cow girls come out to play.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Georgia - LP Zoo

Strolling about Lincoln Park Zoo,

Suddenly I've a feeling that

I'm being watched as I walk through,

Near the painted dog habitat.

And then I glimpse her watching me.

Painted dog, Georgia, standing still

And watching me so intently,

Gazing down from atop a hill.

And so I stop and watch her back,

Watch this lovely one year old pup.

Each of us standing still in track.

She's watching down, I'm watching up.

As I go on my way, I find

I do have Georgia on my mind.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Barry

In a U.K. aquarium

A giant sea worm there was found.

Four feet long, this worm had become.

Surely its presence did astound.

How it got there was the belief

That it came as a stowaway,

Hidden in delivered coral reef.

Named Barry, it went on display.

Ferocious biter, an apt term,

Barry would chew on anything.

A numbing sting did have the worm

For helplessness its prey to bring.

In your aquarium maybe

You'll encounter your own Barry!

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Too Close

Rural North Carolina, the place,

1961 was the year.

Flying from a U.S. air base

A B-52 bomber here,

While on a routine cold war flight,

Did lose a wing and crashed into

A field in the dark of the night.

Atomic bombs were on board, true!

No detonations luckily,

But nonetheless quite a close call,

That the atomic age does be

A crash away from dooming all.

It is a scary thought to think -

A bomb disaster in a blink.

Sense Sonnet - Chiller

 Piranha Legend

Teddy Roosevelt took a trip

Down the Brazilian Amazon,

And witnessed piranha fish rip

A cow apart phenomenon.

The President then spread this tale,

And piranha fish came to be

Deemed horrors on a monstrous scale

With bloodthirsty efficiency.

Later it was discovered that

Locals starved the fish beforehand,

Tossed in the river habitat

With the cow, fooling Teddy planned.

Thanks to Teddy, piranhas still

Have a bad rap for bloody kill.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Bill Fill - LP Zoo

This red billed hornbill likes to do

A checking out of tree limbs that,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Are growing in my habitat.

Depending on what season be,

Upon the limbs I'll maybe find

Seeds that can be pulled off by me

By my horn shaped red bill designed

To pluck each seed from the limb and

Proceed to eat the tasty snack.

It is a venture I find grand,

And mind not showing off this knack.

When there are seeds I use my bill,

Ready and able to fulfill.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Patagonian Cavy - LP Zoo

Patagonian cavy, I 

Look like a jackrabbit, I do.

I am a rodent, somewhat shy,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Argentina's the only place

My kind in the wild do be found,

Hopping or galloping with grace,

With strong, long legs over the ground.

With others we communicate

With varied sounds from grunts to screams.

Monogamously we do mate,

Lifelong together, twosome teams.

Ambassador, I am pleased that

Humans visit my habitat.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Moment with Mondika - LP Zoo

Mondika has his eyes on you.

Watching, this young gorilla guy,

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Seeming at first a little shy,

But then deciding that you be

A harmless sight certainly that

Does cause his curiosity

To perk him in his habitat.

And so Mondika reaches out,

Giving you a welcoming wave,

Making a memory no doubt

For you to capture and to save.

A moment shared in time and place,

You and Mondika, face to face.

Sense Sonnet - Acher

 Oak Flat

Oak Flat in Arizona be

Site of Apache holy ground,

Protected by U.S. treaty,

Like others not deemed to be bound

By governments that come and go.

The Trump government plans to sell

Oak Flat land to Rio Tinto,

A foreign company, do tell,

That wants to mind the copper there,

Destroying the environment.

The Trump folks really do not care.

That message has been clearly sent.

Will the Biden government act

To keep holy Oak Flat in tact?

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 New Klipspringer '20 - LP Zoo

She's a klipspringer calf born new,

Being cared for behind the scenes

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo.

Mom's teaching her the ways and means

Of all the klipspringer skills that

Soon she will be able to show,

Climbing rocks in the habitat,

Quite surefooted as she does go.

Klipspringer means in Africaan

Climber of rocks and soon you'll be

A rock climbing phenomenon,

Surely an awesome sight to see.

Young klipspringer welcome to where

You will receive the best of care.

Sense Sonnet - Pumper

 Quick to Solve - LP Zoo

The dwarf mongooses are up to

Checking a puzzle feeder out

Here at home in Lincoln Park Zoo,

Exciting food for thought no doubt.

The keepers use devices that

Enrich how dwarf mongooses act

While living in their habitat.

Solving puzzles, they are well knacked,

And soon do solve the puzzles so

The hidden tasties are revealed.

The dwarf mongooses surely show

Keen thinking powers they do wield.

When there is food that is involved,

All the quicker - the puzzle's solved.