Crocodile Tears
The boardwalk surfaces and the dock dries
Retreating to the creature's snout
the tired visitors land
Flocking to rest on that craggily face
Enjoying salty treats.
The rainbow petals yawn slowly
Creaking open, blinking on occasion
laden heavy with velleity and the morning dew
The lonely girl knows not to move,
She dared not scare away the attention.
Dead bark for skin, slick with green mildew
Years of neglect and hiding in the dark
Could she be beautiful?
Her tears are of relief
of doubt
of joy
For a moment all is still, as that jagged place grew flowers.
Like a garland bow most gently placed, atop a newborn’s head.
The Archerfish spots the flutter of painted targets.
Incites doom with a jet of water
Finding its mark, dead center.
So all returned to their ways, back to the nature of things.
The butterflies frantically flew away
The fish violently became prey
The dear caiman sighed the longest of sighs
Slinking deeper into the slimy bayou to sulk once more.
Blinking away the pain, with no more tears left to shed.
About this poem
I wrote this poem after being inspired by viewing an image of multi-colored butterflies resting on a crocodile to drink it. Apparently, their tears help them get rid of the excess salt they consume. While the butterflies like to drink it, as the minerals they contain are often a rare commodity in the natural world. A fascinating case of symbiosis.
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Written on November 28, 2023
Submitted by Jewoo525 on November 27, 2023
- 1:01 min read
- 86 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | ABXXX XCDXC DXX XBXXE XFF XGGA XE |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
| Characters | 1,045 |
| Words | 203 |
| Stanzas | 7 |
| Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 3, 5, 3, 4, 2 |
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"Crocodile Tears" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/175210/crocodile-tears>.
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