Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Talking to a Hippo

        Talking to a Hippo

"It's your greatest hour as survivor,
       I'm your emissary;
talk on behalf of your kind and others,
      against your enemy."

                      Dr Abe V Rotor


The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), 
or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semi aquatic
mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only
 two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the 
other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis 
liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The name 
comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse." 
(Reference: Internet)


Photos taken by the author at Avilon Zoo, San Mateo, Rizal, 
January 3, 2018, 3rd birthday of Markus, author's grandson.
   
He is all alone in a wide, wide pond, 
     survivor of a big herd;  
whatever happened to its long time kin
     hasn't really been heard. 

I asked Hippo junior, a name I coined;
     it hid under a mat of duckweed
carpeting the pond green from any view,
     he was shy and naïve, indeed. 

I asked about the native hippo in Africa, 
     in Asia and Australia,
its relationship with other species
     under Class Mammalia. 

I was talking with books I had once read,

     a time long, long ago,
when man was not enemy of Nature,
    a record and history, too.

"It's your greatest hour as survivor,

     I'm your emissary, 
talk on behalf of your kind and others, 
     against your enemy."

Hippo Junior suddenly lurched  and jumped,

     words spewed out, thundered, 
in anger, hiss, nothing kind, 'cept moaning, 
     crying barely heard. 

"How long will he be alone here, warden?"

     my question unanswered,
I looked around, hills once a watershed,
     at sunset gleaming red. ~     

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