Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hippo Haven


                                                Brenda Bryant

WATERY WEDNESDAY
http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/
HIPPO HAVEN

A jungle shot? No, not at all; a shot in Melbourne zoo,
Where a gentle baby hippo browses, as all hippos do.
I wonder if some species-memory persists in such a case.
Does he have a longing for a very different place?
Does some instinct linger, that he can never smother?
Some sense of where 'the right place is' inherited from Mother?
I wonder if he lifts his head and breathes the morning air,
And aches with a terrible yearning, for somewhere 'over there'.
The bushes and the trees create a sort-of jungle scene,
And the water tries to be a very real Limpopo green.
The Keepers tend him carefully; his diet is just right,
But does he dream of Africa in the darkness of the night?
*

Another jungle loss here:
http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2008/11/206-good-riddance.html

11 comments:

Coffeedoff said...

Super hippo photo. Yes I wonder if they know!

Jim said...

Good one. I was interested to hear about your friend arriving on the crusie ship too.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Margaret Gosden said...

Spectacular reflections! The Melbourne zoo looks looks too comfortable to be thinking about what might have been for him.

Unknown said...

Very nice photo and reflections.

Jinksy said...

We are a right pair - dreaming hippos and dreaming plants - proves that great minds think alike!

Tania said...

Wow, great shot!:-)

Gerald (SK14) said...

hippos remind me of the Flanders & Swann song "mud mud glorious mud"

Gemma Wiseman said...

The hippo looks quite content with life as is! But I guess he could be dreaming of old "green fields" Lovely shot!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

wonderful reflection. When we were young, in our Chinese books, we learned about the dog looking at his own reflection, and losing his bone. I don't remember if this is also a western tale.

Cheryl said...

Nice photo. Perhaps there is some sort of instinct??

Kat said...

Where a gentle baby hippo browses, as all hippos do.

hippos and humans these days seem to have a lot in common - Browsing..!!!!