GROWING UP DOWN UNDER by Russ McKay
Posted on May 24, 2010
Filed Under Tweens | Leave a Comment
It was warm…it was calm
Down under my Mom
And Oh, by the way, it was dark
I was still in my shell
And as far as could tell
Hatching’s no walk in the park
But I had this egg tooth
And I worked on the roof
Of the leathery shell holding me
I did start to get through
But there’s more work to do
With a bigger hole I’d be free
There was plenty of mud
And some other crud
But I guess my new home this would be
As I kicked off my shell
I noticed a smell
With my nose it did disagree
I’m a mammal I find
But I’m not sure what kind
I’ve no neck and I’ve got webbed feet
My bill’s like a duck
But with any luck
I’m something I think will be neat!
“You’re a platypus you see”
My mommy told me
‘Though I’ve got no one to tell
I can’t begin to pronounce it
But I’ll never renounce it
Yet it’s a name I can’t even spell
When a flat tailed behind
Bumped into mine
Mom said that was my brother’s bottom
So my family was small
Me and Bro’ that was all
I’m kinda glad that I’ve got ‘im
Yes we were just two
Hardly a zoo
But I found that was good for Mothers
Just two mouths to feed
There was no greed
Like you find with some mammals of others
My Mother had hair
But mine was no where
‘though she said I’d get furry in time
I’ll just muddle through
‘Til my fur it is due
It should give me more grip in this slime
I noticed one morning
When it was dawning
Mom went out of the burrow to feed
When she was done eating
She returned to our greeting
She then let us both quench our need
She’d pull us in tightly
With her flipper held lightly
We snuggled and had our fill
Then she’d leave the nest
And we’d get our rest
With our flippers tucked under our bill
Then one special morning
With nary a warning
Mom hauled us out of the burrow
The light hurt my eyes
But what a surprise
We met Dad who began lessons thorough
He taught us to dive
And to swim and survive
He showed us the spurs on his feet
They shoot poisonous juice
Makes attackers yell “Truce”
Don’t you think that that’s really neat?
Mom and Dad say we’re special
And it’s official
We’re kinda part mammal…part bird
Some say “Ridiculous”
A mammal oviparous
Still others say we’re absurd
But just like you
We’re animals too
Although I agree we’re quite strange
God made us all
And we should stand tall
Regardless of who calls us names
So I’ll do my thing
And hope I can bring
My own kind of balance to nature
You do yours too
Do what you do
No matter what your nomenclature
In one world we live
It is better to give
Your talents and gifts to mankind
Don’t think badly of others
Treat them as brothers
Ignore their flat beak and behind