{"id":574,"date":"2026-06-27T14:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/?page_id=574"},"modified":"2026-07-09T19:20:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:20:03","slug":"poetry-for-animals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/poetry-for-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry for Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

Poetry for Animals<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Wee Willie<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Wee Willie Wagtail;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perched high in the whistling wattle,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

within the winding wood down the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Whimsical Willie wag his tail;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sporting a white waistcoat,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which he wears proudly night and day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Wee Willie Wagtail whirl and whirl;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His black and white plumage on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Wee Willie wait on a wire;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greet the passers-by with fanfare,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

within the winding wood down the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Willie is waging war with the warblers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and with watchful eyes here he will stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wee Willie Wagtail;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perched high in the whistling wattle,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

within the winding wood down the way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
The Song of Tanch\u014dzuru<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

How I have longed to be<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a red-crowned crane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To live for a thousand years;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See a world of beauty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

through a drop of falling rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To wade in a golden river of mist;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soar through an endless azure sky,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the snow is falling softly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

over fields and mountains high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when the day draws softly close,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the season\u2019s end is nigh;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I pray to the winged gods above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us live freely, you and I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, we became snow ballerinas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrift in a sea of powdered white,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we dance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We make fire on the breath of gods.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
Blue Whale’s Lament<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There was a song passed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

down to me from hidden tales of lore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of 1000 years of solitude and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

eternal longing lapping the shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a tale of 1001 perilous seas;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sorrowful piece playing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

over a mid-Atlantic breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, under a nocturne of a blood red moon;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hear his sorry tune; picture his mottled hue;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through a vastness of oceans before;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across an expanse of azure blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when the tide is low, and the evening is nigh;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an abandoned shipyard of broken dreams,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may hear a moan; or a guttural cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is his lament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For he is the loneliest whale in the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big boy; the big blue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
Feathered Fowl<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There you go again, dear hen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleet-footed and unfettered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forever foraging your way<\/p>\n\n\n\n

into my bespeckled heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ask of ye, feathered fowl.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peck me here, peck me now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through scattered seed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My heart doth avow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For there is many a pleasure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in earth\u2019s godly delights; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or even a worm or two<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wee Willie Wee Willie Wagtail; Perched high in the whistling wattle, within the winding wood down the way. See Whimsical Willie wag his tail; Sporting a white waistcoat, which he wears proudly night and day. Watch Wee Willie Wagtail whirl and whirl; His black and white plumage on display. See Wee Willie wait on a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":586,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-574","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"background":{"background_type":"color","background_pattern":"type-1","background_image":{"attachment_id":null,"x":0,"y":0},"gradient":"linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%)","background_repeat":"repeat","background_size":"auto","background_attachment":"scroll","patternColor":{"default":{"color":"#e5e7ea"}},"overlayColor":{"default":{"color":"CT_CSS_SKIP_RULE"}},"backgroundColor":{"default":{"color":"#e3e3e3"}}},"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"[data-prefix=\"single_page\"] {background-color:#e3e3e3;background-image:none;}","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6},"has_hero_section":"disabled"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574"}],"version-history":[{"count":105,"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1278,"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/574\/revisions\/1278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/becduffey.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}