A flamboyance followed
the out-of-control antics
of the most orange one.
They dumbly stood on one leg
seemingly unable
to stand on their own two feet.
Conspiracies exploded in numbers
as zookeepers looked on aghast.
These animals were becoming
a colony, a clan,
a bloat on the community,
a herd of blind cows.
Behaviorists know otters may romp,
crocadiles bask, and zebras dazzle.
But humans who gaggle,
needlessly creating a pandemonium,
deliberately crashing the order of things
that’s dangerous to every zoo in the world.
All zoo keepers must issue a warning:
Beware the squeal of a muskrat
in cahoots with a flamboyance.
Remember the movie “The Birds” –
they gather precariously on a high wire,
the murder creating the cacophony.
We cannot let them succeed.
Written for Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today is April Fool’s Day and in keeping with the date, Melissa asks us to write a poem that is partially a lie and partially the truth. She suggests a 60% to 40% ratio.
Not sure about my percentages….but suffice it to say, my poem is not about a zoo. There is much truth here however. Note the use of actual names for groups of animals.
Flamboyance: a group of flamingos (who are orange and often stand on one foot)
Conspiracy: a group of lemurs
Colony: a group of ants
Clan: a group of hyenas
Bloat: a group of hippos
Herd of cows
Romp: a group of otters
Bask: a group of crocodiles
Dazzle: a group of zebras
Gaggle of geese
Pandemonium: a group of parrots
and finally, a Murder is a group of crows.
lillian the home poet 
What a fabulous poem! I loved your creativity, Lillian.
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Thanks, I had fun working with the group names….but the intrinsic thing here is the satirical part….this country, in my opinion, is in very very deep trouble.
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The notes really made my mouth open….that was so cleverly worked…I do wish I was more learned, but now I know, and of course it really works in 2nd reading with the added knowledge…<sigh> what can one say…..it is all shocking, and true, yes…
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All true….most satire is based in truth. It is absolutely frightening what is happening in this country. I do not understand how one-half of our congress can sit by (or stand on one leg) and let this all happen!
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Fantastically well done on all the group names here and on top of just a wonderful/dismaying poem of the current and the surreal nature of it, as wildlife.
“But humans who gaggle,needlessly creating a pandemonium” – discipled parrots repeating in a vacuum.
And, yes, beware the squeal of the Muskrat indeed!!
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EXACTLY! How can one-half of congress stand on one leg and let this happen????
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Here’s a little take of mine on the current cluster we live in from over the weekend Lillian.
https://frankenberrysattic.com/2025/03/30/the-ides-of-dick/
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Brilliant! I especially chuckled at
“Beware the squeal of a muskrat
in cahoots with a flamboyance.”
Chuckled at your word choice, that is. The present situation does not cause chuckling.
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I agree….the present situation if horiffic and keeps getting worse. And now he’s going after the universities (and some are caving) and law firms….firing thousands, appointing a man with no medical license who has published numerous papers arging that vaccinations cause autism, to research whether vaccinations cause autism; accosting innocents on street corners, handcuffing them, putting them in an unmarked car and driving them to Louisiana detention centers for an indeterminate time without any charges being filed….My husband and I will be at the April 5 protest on the Boston Commons with hopefully a million people!
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Please share your experience with us.🙏🏻
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fantastic responzd to the prompt
thanks for dropping by my blog
much♡love
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I really like the word creativity in this poem. Nicely done, Lillian.
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I hear you on this one! A creative expression for sure…
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I think you had fun with this one, Lill. I particularly enjoyed these lines:
‘…humans who gaggle,
needlessly creating a pandemonium,
deliberately crashing the order of things
that’s dangerous to every zoo in the world.’
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This is great, Lillian. It gave me a smile
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Alas I see so much similarities between the zoo collective and the herds of humans simply following following.
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I say uses those chums for feeding the sharks.
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So clever, Lillian!
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Perfect representation of the current chaos! The “herd of blind cows” scare me the most. It’s baffling when they literally choose to believe lies over truth.
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Lillian, this poem cleverly links animal chaos to human folly. It’s a sharp take on disorder and its dangers.
~David
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Bravo!! Lill, you summed up the sorry state in your inimitable way! Love it.
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That was brilliant, Lillian!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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The reality is not funny, but the poem raised a smile in how you used the collective nouns. The reference is clear, we must not let them win, it’s causing rea trouble here too.
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