On oceanic islands
under endless sky
many birds evolve without
the ability to fly.
The Inaccessible Island Rail,
the Stephens Island Wren,
the Réunion Sacred Ibis
and St Helena Swamphen:
all flightless; nearly all extinct;
but none were stranger than
the Flightless Falcon that once lived
on an island near Japan.
It was a ruthless hunter,
and would perch upon a rock
until below there waddled past
a Flightless Pigeon flock.
It swooped down at its prey;
and if it missed it then
it walked back over to its rock
and clambered up again.
A bit on the paper-thin side even by this year’s standards; but during napowrimo you take what you can get.
Storks
In which a popular myth is dispelled, and some helpful advice is offered for homeowners living in those regions where this decorative species is most commonly found.
Thanks to an early misprint,
people think that storks bring babies.
That would be ridiculous;
they actually bring rabies.If a pair nest on your chimney,
there’s no need out to freak;
unless you notice that the storks
are frothing at the beak.
“Thirty-five arrests have been made after clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police as the Olympic torch made its way through London.
Of course, in the parallel world of the Chinese official news machine, the only thing interfering with the movement of the torch was a sprinkling of snow. Actually, to be fair, there is an article about ‘the attempt by some “pro-Tibet independence” activists to sabotage the torch relay’. It’s not exactly hard hitting journalism, but at least they don’t completely pretend that nothing happened.
It’s not part of the traditions of the Olympics to send the torch all the way around the world on the way to the host country: they did it in 2004 because the games were being held in Greece and the trip from Olympia to Athens was a bit too short. But China had to make it as high-profile as possible, and have, as a result, created a three-month long opportunity for protests and bad publicity. By the time the Games come round, far more people will be able to recognise the Tibetan flag that ever could have before.
Personally, I think the focus being Tibet all the time is slightly missing the point: for me, China’s human rights record as it applies to the other 99.8% of the population is rather more important than Tibet, if only because of sheer numbers. But Tibet is a much simpler, more photogenic issue with a charismatic spokesman, so perhaps it’s not surprising it attracts all the attention.
» Photo credit: olympic torch-19 found on Flickr and © suburbia2050.
The Wandering Pine migration’s an unstoppable stampede
which makes up in tenacity for what it lacks in speed;
usually they’ve travelled about eighteen inches when
it’s time for them to turn around and head back north again.