THE BOO-HOO OF A BOOBY
We boobies won't praise you, O God,
When you deserve a hiss,
It's you designed our waddling walk,
Our sky-high dives that MISS.
Though goose-sized, still
like any hawk
And acting on a hunch,
We dive-bomb fish -- but
often end
With nothing for our lunch.
So "booby" is our given name,
And scoffs and sneers are many
As we race after flying fish
But seldom catch us any.
In love, we take high booby
steps
To show how blue our toes
While whistling males chant
to the sky,
And hens groan through their
nose.
RIDICULOUS! That sums us up,
Our booboos never stop,
So "booby" prizes are the ones
That go to those who flop.
The one achievement that
we prize
Is that we've endless ardor
--
However often we should fail
--
We just try all the harder.
Though winning prizes is a dream
Our destinies withhold,
We've learned to smile at our mistakes!
And that's more dear than gold.
from the forthcoming book Prayers of 100 Animals A to Z, by William Cleary
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