Taken in November of 2013 at the Mysore Zoo
There is no smile
worn by a crocodile,
that’ll induce me to pet him.
There’s no grin,
neither wide nor thin,
that extends my treasured limb.
Save your beaming.
It looks scheming.
“No, I won’t go for a swim.”
Taken in January of 2014 on Patong Beach.
This little bird was going all Daniel-san, reading itself to lay a boot to the head.
Taken on Christmas Day on Phuket, Thailand.
This photo turned out a bit otherworldly. It’s a crab on a barnacle-covered rock who is about to be swamped by a boulder-churned slab of white water.
The Hippo never took an oath
to watch its weight or check its growth.
Hungry, Hungry, it is in deed.
Five hours per day it’s known to feed.
The Greeks called it the river horse.
A horse that’s not a horse, of course, [of course.]
Hippos do like rivers, though they don’t float.
Submerged below, they’ll wreck your boat.
Where else can one find two tons of fun?
But careful, don’t think them too fat to run.
They’ve been clocked at 30 miles per hour,
and there’s scarcely a thing they won’t devour.
Taken at the Mysore Zoo on November 29, 2013.
I took this photo at Mysore zoo through the chain link fence, but got focus on the leopard.
there’s nothing sadder than a monkey
who’s grown pudgy, blown up chunky,
and become a Mars Bar junkie
just cause we’re genetically entwined
makes it neither right nor kind
to give them a bootilicious behind
when swinger’s branches threaten break
and under foot the earth it quakes
it’s then too late to lay off the cakes
when dealing with our friends furry
remember no ice cream or curry
no panicked food drop and scurry
Taken November 29, 2013 at the Mysore Zoo.
There’s something about this picture that strikes me as not of this world. The albino creature contrasted against the earth-tone environment. One expects to see a deer in a verdant patch where it can meet its grazing needs, not on barren, stony soil. Then there are those wicked screw-bit horns, seeming a little out of place on bambi–like fangs on a butterfly.
Taken October 14, 2013 on Chandni Chowk in Delhi.
The base of this statue of Swami Shraddhanand (1856–1926) is a popular point for feeding the birds. It’s located in front of the Town Hall building on Chandni Chowk.
Three little birdies sat on a rail.
Two little birdies spoke of no avail.
“Sam, you’re just not one of us.”
“I’m not a bird, like you or Gus?”
“No. Some birds just don’t go together.”
“You mean the ones without any feathers.”
“No. Some birds are just kind of unique.”
“Yeah, I once saw one without any beak.
“Some birds are from very different type eggs.”
“We all have two legs, so what’s wrong–I begs.”
“It’s not that there’s anything wrong, per se–
It’s just that–well–we’re green, and you’re grey.”
“So you won’t sit on a rail, preen, or be seen
with any bird, unless its color is green?”
“Well, it just sounds silly when you put it that way.”
Taken at Fatehpur Sikri
Poor little rodent, run up a door.
Chattering and chattering, frantic, he swore.
Babel Fish Rodentia translated his words:
“It’s not bad enough, the cats and the birds,
hectic humans and their frantic pace,
always running about like they’re in a race.
Stuck on this peg for nigh half a day.
‘A break in the traffic’, I fervently pray.
Pfff! Bipedal humans with their gigantic feet
designed to crush chipmunks right in the street.”
Tiger Riding for Beginners 