Beth Camp Historical Fiction

Monday, October 05, 2020

OctPoWriMo 5: Head in the Clouds

I’ve always admired the steady gait
of a giraffe. Maybe those knobby knees
that punctuate their legs, or
those impossibly long necks that undulate  
as they pace through the savannah,
caught my heart.

What do they hide under their calm exterior?
What does a giraffe think about
in its relentless search for grasses?

Maybe I feel the same about any elephant
I’ve seen here at home or in the wild,
so large, rounded with serenity.
Once I saw a baby elephant nearly destroy
a tree, tearing the bark into bite-sized bits
and eating them all in a frenzy.

Perhaps the images we treasure
on our flannel pajamas
hide a voracious hunger,
an insatiable desire to survive.

Image by DimaDim-Art on Pixabay.

October 5, just the fifth day in this month-long poetry challenge. Are you writing your own poetry? 

Have you checked out what others are writing about? Try looking HERE for Morgan Dragonwillow's poetry prompts. Check out the comments to enjoy diversity as we all face down the challenges (poetry and otherwise) that each day brings. May the coming week be good to you!



5 comments:

  1. I love this, Beth, it feels whimsical. So glad you're writing with us at OctPoWriMo!

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    1. Thank you, Morgan, for leading us and inspiring us once again. May you have a truly lovely month.

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  2. I love the photo you found to illustrate the poem!

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    1. Thank you! You might want to check out pixabay.com for they offer truly free and wonderful images -- only asking that we give credit to the artists.

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  3. Now we all know you wear flanalette pyjamas with elephants on them...mine have lollipops and bears...wouldnt mind a pair with giraffes.I suppose some poets suffer from arrested development...that is what makes us interesting :)

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