Source: eBird.com
The official name for the Blue Penguin is Little Penguin. They are also called fairy penguins. They live in Australia and New Zealand and they are the smallest penguin species. For twenty years, people from around the world have been knitting sweaters for these penguins to protect them from oil pollution.
Little Penguin,
Fairy Penguin,
In a cozy sweater,
Tell me, do you think the world
is ever getting better?
People hurt and people kill
and people seem so hateful.
Yet they knit you tiny sweaters,
so for that I’m grateful.
©Ruth Bowen Hersey
Below you'll find links to all my Birdtober poems so far, and next week I'll post the whole month of birds. Be sure to visit this week's Poetry Friday roundup here.
Day Eleven: Magnificent Frigatebird
Day Fifteen: White-naped Crane
Day Twenty-Two: Bohemian Waxwing
Day Twenty-Three: Black-headed Gull
Day Twenty-Four: Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Day Twenty-Five: Mandarin Duck
12 comments:
Ruth, I have never heard of blue penguins and the thought of knitting them sweaters is fascinating. What a strange relationship we humans have with the other inhabitants of this planet!
Thanks for introducing me to the Blue Penguin, Ruth! I've never heard of them and never have I seen them in a zoo. We just visited a Penguin exhibit in a UNESCO Heritage Zoo - The Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna - a great variety of penguins but none as cute as this little guy. You're poem speaks of some of the goodness left in the world.
Aww! I got to see the fairy penguins in Australia back in the 80's -- I guess prior to when they wore blue sweaters! But what a spot of joy in this craziness of a world!
1) Knitters are awesome 2) Penguins are also awesome 3) Poets are...you know...awesome and 4) You have almost made it to the end of Birdtober!!!!
Humans are a puzzle. The sweaters are good, but maybe it would be better not to pollute with oil spills???
Just a little glimpse of people doing something good keeps hope alive.
It's a wonderful thing to hear about those jumpers, Ruth, and your thank you in the poem feels even better!
Sweet little bird and sweet poem. I love meeting this little treasure. Thanks you.
Ruth, I never heard of blue penguins. They are adorable! Thank you for the photo and for your hopeful poem.
Beautiful and heartfelt little poem for the Little Penguin. How sweet that people have been knitting sweaters for them, and how sad the reason they are. Thanks for sharing your poem Ruth, and this bird, I may want to write for it too…
I love your wry and cheerful and quirky penguin sweater poem, Ruth! It's so clever...and I learned something. Thank you :>)
Ruth... love it! Animals offer us much to appreciate, as do your birdtober writings.
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