Aardvark

This was for a poetry contest where I was given the letter 'A' as a prompt to construct a poem.

Aardvark

 

 

Aardvark’s a nocturnal nomad oddball,

A driven earth-pig resembling no other,

Africa is his monumental desert home,

Ants were customary devoured fodder.

 

Ant-bear trudges with elongated claws,

Ably against encounters or to unearth,

Ants are taken by a long sticky tongue,

Accruing him a lumbering chunky girth.

 

Aardvark chose the weird name Stubby,

Addressing his unusual swollen feature,

Africa unfolded an ancient ground-sloth,

Allowing him to exist one gritty creature.

 

Ant-bear has the toughest leathery skin,

Although Stubby was certainly not safe,

Acreage meant marauding hungry lions,

Across grasslands they’d eagerly strafe.

 

Awakened by nightfall he’s ready to feed,

Alertly smelled a termite gluttonous meal.

Ant-bear paws up a magical blue-lit stone.

Amethyst said, any bidding soon reveals!

 

Anything? the suspicious Stubby answers.

Activate me with your imaginative wishes!

A Stegosaurus tail could outdo wonderful,

And trim my hideous rabbit-ears smallish!

 

Are you sure you want those? stone said.

Aardvark grunts, please-please one more.

Attach wings so I can escape dire danger.

Abruptly the earth shook a chilling uproar!

 

Amethyst immediately transforms Stubby.

Ant-bear had flappers on his piggy-head!

A brawny tail became his formidable club.

Ask nothing else for they will never shed!

 

Admiring the magnitude his tail endowed,

Analyzing his mighty glossy-black airfoils,

Alluding these limbs have a saving grace,

At sunrise his feathers mature and uncoil.

 

Aardvark thrusts his wings in a tryout run,

Air elevates earth-pig way up into the sky,

Ant-mounds appeared a cakewalk to find,

Arced maneuvers over nosy lions to defy.

 

All was well until a crash-landing incident,

Aardvark was clumsily heavy on the front.

Absent centre balance had Stubby jinxed,

Affording snout touch-downs so rampant!

 

Alarmed by this badly mislead quandary,

Afoot for evil-amethyst that sweet talked,

Arduously Stubby bored through the dirt,

Awkwardly his weighted noggin dropped.

 

Agonizing he could not hold his head up,

Air-bear seen the shiny amethyst muted.

As he spoke it stayed clammed and unlit,

Asking, remove the hefty-wings it rooted!

 

Asserting he arranged horrible mistakes!

Aardvark saw its power was now absent?

Absolutely longing for his archaic burrow,

Arriving perplexed he is rejected descent?!

 

Astonishing about his foolish greediness,

Ample wings would not let him in his lair!

Air-bear found refuge under a thorny tree,

An alpha lion noticed him rustle unaware.

 

Already daylight the lion caught his scent.

Attack was imminent under jagged claws!

Air-bear heard a snap and readied his tail,

Amazingly laid-out this ferocious lion was!

 

Africa’s earth-pig had to find new shelter,

Ambitious Stubby scanned every tall tree,

Air-bear needed a roost for the day-hours,

Amid grim threats of the savannah prairie.

 

Ardently Stubby urgently flew on seeking,

A tree that had a crotch near the very top,

Aardvark can nonchalantly bunk shielded,

Avoiding ravenous cats and to eavesdrop.

 

Abound were select trees coming in sight.

Assumed he pinpointed a defensive perch.

Angled downward for a breakneck landing,

Aboard he ends an enormous tree-search!

 

Although Stubby strongly felt camouflaged,

Amiss were some baboons below gawking,

Arguing while they look upward distraught,

Air-bear puzzled their irrational squawking?

 

Aggression had dwindled to an agreement,

Absence of noise Stubby had fallen asleep.

Angry baboons were not actually done yet,

Ascended home they’ll riot brutally to keep!

 

As the posse clambered up toward Stubby,

Agilely they surrounded him on both sides,

Accosting him their rowdy screaming-jeers,

Awakening underneath their jarring-strides!

 

Amuck they leapt upon Stubby-trespasser!

Air-bear’s club-liken tail swung not striking!

Ably a baboon unhinged him upside-down,

Adrift Stubby is sent earth-bound crashing!

 

A loud thud ensued while the horde stared,

Anxiety crumbled air-bear’s uplifting plans,

Accused and alone sentenced this nomad,

Alarmed by crabby territorial baboon-clans.

 

Air-bear bitterly flew off on drooping wings,

Accepting widespread exploration he’d do,

Afresh tree-clump by an escarpment base,

Aids Stubby’s confidence completely anew.

 

Achieving touchdown settles for a vital rest,

Air-bear didn’t see the spotted she-leopard,

Amongst the leaf-blanket of reaching limbs,

Angelic Slinky’s phantom-illusion mastered.

 

At first Stubby feared being her next dinner,

As Slinky converged like a snail with intent!

Another battle gallivanted in Stubby’s mind,

Although she just wanted to greet this gent.

 

Abnormal as it was she laid beside Stubby,

And Slinky ogled deeply in air-bear’s eyes!

Abloom was their unconceivable friendship,

Assuring worried Stubby shouldn’t agonize.

 

Air-bear had an absurd invitation for Slinky,

Adhere to his muscular shoulders for a ride,

Anxiously Slinky crawled on Stubby’s back,

Atingle though Slinky’s still awfully terrified!

 

Airborne the pair heightened quickly above,

Accelerating Stubby dove into a steep dive!

Air-leopard shrieked-curled as he pulled up,

And licks Stubby’s face glad they survived!

 

Assuredly Stubby had a friend and a home,

Air-bear had weapons against hungry lions,

Armament kept Slinky’s meal-thieves away,

Allies together ruling the savannah regions.

 

Arise when you see Stubby soaring around,

Air-bear levitates because of a magic prank,

Attentively watch Stubby’s foolish capsizing,

And Slinky’s cruising-shotgun you can bank!

 

 

July-18-2013 by Quilled_Penman©Glen King