Flight of the Penguin
On land the penguin reminds us
of the portly Hercule Poirot,
quick little bird steps and jerky
body roll, in black and white.
Ungainly chubby shuffle,
wings flare with a scare,
squawking and screeching
squabbling and beseeching,
like a malodorous kindergarten,
(that’s being polite)
of flamboyant youngsters,
who haven’t washed for a while.
But the sea is where they shine,
‘better out than in’ – not for a penguin.
Who said they cannot fly?
In the chilled deep they soar.
They belly glide on an ice slide,
launching into an azure slushy
that would restart an arrested heart,
graceful arc and near silent entry
into the dark blue big easy
(marine milieu connoisseur).
Consummate deep diving pro
with the ultimate gear to go:
flipper wings and slickest body,
heavy diver’s weight belt bones,
waterproof suit and insulating blubber,
paddle-like feet to propel.
Born to be seaborne flying
and dining on the tastiest krill,
fresh fish, and succulent squid,
and all of these perfectly chilled.
_______________________________
Note: A re-post because it’s been a crazy week and penguins cheer me up 😒
NudderNote: Image by Glenn Grant (acobox free images)
Gabe Feathers McGee 
Penguins cheer me up too. I hope your week becomes a little less crazy soon.
That closing line is the best!
thanks Tracey 🙂 makes me hungry that last stanza
reading your poem, I would like to be one 😉
wouldn’t it be the best Benedicte – I love the idea of diving into an icy sludge without feeling the shock of the cold, as a penguin!
Have always been amazed when watching films of the penguins in the sea…some graceful…but on land the move like an old Charlie Chaplin character…enjoyed the poem.
they sure do look like comedians when out of water – is there anything funnier to look at 😉 thanks Charles
penguins are wonderful and they definitely fly underwater rather than swimming
Juliet
http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.com
and they fly very elegantly Juliet 🙂 I love penguins – always have
Birds are the only creatures that have successfully colonised every continent!
Well done Gabe.
thanks Stafford : Is that right! what about seals – I wouldn’t have a clue 😉
Love to watch them “fly” in that “dark blue big easy” – the poem brings them to life.
thanks bb 🙂 that was my penguin phase – hahaha (we must have another theme week – what should it be?)
What’s not to love about penguins? And their community is even wise enough to support marriage equality. But of this poem, I particularly enjoyed ‘They belly glide on an ice slide/launching into an azure slushy/that would restart an arrested heart/graceful arc and near silent entry’. Glorious. In so many ways.
I’d heard that about penguins 😉 they are very enlightened as a rule – thank you Nigel for your lovely comment (I’ll give you 5/5 for that one – and a fish) 🙂
that would be a virtual fish – they’re better as they don’t require refrigeration 😉