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PEACE & FREEDOM PRESS FREE ENTRY POETRY COMPETITIONS 2009

Animals & Wildlife Poetry Competition 2009 Winners

Isabella Dean - 'I Am That Horse With Crystal Clear Eyes'
Worcester, England

Jeanne Dore - 'Rhinoceros'
Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales

Leland James - 'Frogs'
St. Augustine, FL, U.S.A.

Chris Murphy - 'The Defender'
Horton, MI, U.S.A.

Diana Woodcock - 'Obligation'
Doha, Qatar

RHINOCEROS
By JEANNE DORE of Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales

Thick protective skin,
Small brain but large horned rhino
Gives ride to tickbirds.

THE DEFENDER
By CHRIS MURPHY of Horton, Michigan, U.S.A.

So hard to contain
the sheer joy lingering
behind the half smile;
teeth (sans dental work) straight white against
his gums and pink tongue.

Was he bothered by
the stream of saliva that
sneaked out the side of his mouth
washing away the last morsel
of dinner?

Lips twitching somewhat silently
in rhythm with his quiet contemplation
while trying to suppress the sour smell
of his latent breath, until......
suddenly, the sound of the doorbell
interrupts his involuntary reflection
and he instinctively begins
to bark.

I AM THAT HORSE WITH CRYSTAL CLEAR EYES
By ISABELLA DEAN of Worcester, England

I am that horse with crystal clear and hazel eyes,
leaning my head toward the jogger's hand,
feeling it warm and dear,
entrusting with my gentle and sensitive trust.
She just looked straight ahead,
leading me to walk around the circle,
before she jumped onto my back,
driving me with full wings in confidence,
keeping punching me to rush to the front.
At the hail of the crowd,
we crossed the line first.
She went home to be with her friends,
I was left alone being given more care.
At night I still felt the warmth from her hand,
and her dashing ease in the harmony we shared.

In memory of the racing event in Worcester where the horse, No. 11, Roundabout, won the last run on Saturday, 07/06/2008.

FROGS
By LELAND JAMES of St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.A.

in camouflage
sing armies of them
hidden in the night
hallelujah-chorus dream
of turning into princes

OBLIGATION (BIRDS TEACH ME
A THING OR TWO)
By DIANA WOODCOCK of Doha, Qatar

"Holiness is not a luxury reserved for the few,
but an obligation for us all."
- Mother Teresa

They make it seem so easy, the ones
on stilted legs along lagoons and mangroves,
on mudflats and coral shoals -

being wholly what they are, devoted
to the work of their creator, displaying
a spirit of share and share alike, aware

it would seem of their dependance
on the earth, not obsessed with their own
worth. What better form of gratitude?

Observing these stilted saints,
I feel ashamed - hoarding and taking
more than my share. Aspire anew,

I urge myself, to cool all desire,
repent of crimes that set me apart
from them: greed and ambition,

quarrelsomeness and disobedience.
Yet would I trade consciousness
for their peace of wildness?

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