Never elevate your opinion of a particular animal above the rest. I used to think quite highly of monkeys, and then one — of the kleptomaniac variety — stole my sunglasses and mocked me from a high tree like a cowardly school bully.
Isn’t it enough to know that all animals are better than people.
massive hives
hang from high branches;
no bees in sight.
a raft of ducks
glides as a dense pack --
then one goes solo.
The parrot stands, as if jilted.
The chipmunk sniffs, as if intrigued.
Parrot behaves ever so stilted.
Chipmunk is just hungry and fatigued.
ancient temple:
bats strafe ambulators;
wing flaps puff on bare scalp.
There was a brown bear from Slovenia
who had a bad case of anemia.
While his kin were vegetarian,
he ate campers and carrion —
Hope you don’t meet the iron-shy bear of Slovenia.
There was a safari guide in Botswana
who disliked being quizzed about fauna.
"I don't mean to be rude,
but there's Huge, Fast, and Food --
so, just three types of beast in Botswana."
![Great Mormon Butterfly [Papilio Memnon]](https://berniegourley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/img_0372.jpg)
Great Mormon
flaps its wings spastically,
yet hovers in place.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 