Wasp [Lyric Poem]

I look straight upward and I see
A wasp nest hanging over me:
By a mere twig it's dangling,
And this, my nerves, is jangling.

Ostrich [Lyric Poem]

For the Ostrich, I feel quite bad:
The bird's great gift, it never had.
But, a flighted one, I don't wish to see;
I'd hate to have a falling one land on me.

“Shiloh: A Requiem” by Herman Melville [w/ Audio]

Skimming lightly, wheeling still,
The swallows fly low
Over the field in clouded days,
The forest-field of Shiloh--
Over the field where April rain
Solaced the parched ones stretched in pain
Through the pause of night
That followed the Sunday fight
Around the church of Shiloh--
The church so lone, the log-built one,
That echoed to many a parting groan
And natural prayer
Of dying foemen mingled there--
Foemen at morn, but friends at eve--
Fame or country least their care:
(What like a bullet can undeceive!)
But now they lie low,
While over them the swallows skim,
And all is hushed in Shiloh.

“Of Glory not a Beam is left” (1685) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

Of Glory not a Beam is left
But her Eternal House --
The Asterisk is for the Dead,
The Living, for the Stars --

Giraffe Headbutts [Lyric Poem]

I was warned giraffes like to give headbutts.
I told the man, "You must be nuts!
Even if true, my head 's far too low."

"That's why we built a tower, now up you go!"
Tower built at the Giraffe Centre to put humans at headbutt level.

Buffalo [Lyric Poem]

Never punch a Buffalo!
They may seem dim and kind of slow,
But they hold a grudge to the last,
And - besides - you're not exactly fast!

“The Poets light but Lamps –” (930) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

The Poets light but Lamps --
Themselves -- go out --
The Wicks they stimulate
If vital Light

Inhere as do the Suns --
Each Age a Lens
Disseminating their
Circumference --

Bee [Lyric Poem]

I see the humble bumble bee, 
Or should I say I see its rump.
It snugged in, made itself cozy --
To get away it's far too plump.

Crocodile [Lyric Poem]

The Crocodile has a toothy smile,
And, Oh My, is he so proud of it.
I'll sing his praises (play Croc-o-phile)
As long as I'm ten feet above it.

Cheetah [Lyric Poem]

The Leopard cannot change its spots;
Maybe an obese Cheetah can
Blot out all of those old, black dots
With an orange cheese powder tan.