The flight of the penguin
This is a longer poem again but it's a story and it's perhaps one of my better ones. It was a struggle to write and has already had countless edits and improvements over the years so it will probably continue to evolve. I think Sue is an example to all of us in some ways.
The Flight of the Penguin
Have you ever wondered why,
Penguins never learn to fly?
This is the tale of a penguin who tries,
To break the mould and reach for the skies.
A penguin named Sue was the heroic young bird,
Who ignored all the others who said, "It's absurd,
Penguins can't fly, we're swimmers you fool,
Now stop messing around and get back in the pool!"
She'd watch other birds with an envious eye,
As they circled and swooped, up in the sky,
As much as she practiced and try as she might,
She just couldn't achieve significant height.
One day she set off, through deep snow and ice,
To visit an albatross, seeking advice.
"I know that I'm heavy but you're heavy too,
You make it look easy - please give me a clue."
The albatross rose and stretched out his great wings,
And looked down at Sue's which were stubby short things,
"Now, now, my dear penguin, what you need is a plan,
To somehow increase your current wingspan.
"My wings are my secret, their size is my gift,
There's nothing quite like them for giving one lift."
So Sue set off home, thinking and pondering,
The albatross left to continue his wandering.
The following dawn Sue was down by the shore,
Collecting some driftwood, a sail and an oar,
She hammered and sawed till the sky had turned black,
And she'd made herself wings to strap to her back.
The others all gathered around to watch Sue,
Including a nature documentary crew.
She stood standing ready with wings strapped on tight,
Preparing to launch her maiden test flight.
She waddled off slowly then faster and faster,
She spread her new wings but then: Oh no! Disaster!
The sail ripped apart, the oar snapped in two,
Tumbling down in a snowdrift came Sue.
When her friends and the film-crew finally found her,
She was sat up surveying the wreckage around her,
She spat out some snow and said, "What I need,
Is to work out a way to increase my airspeed."
So next day, undaunted, Sue began to repair,
The wings she required to get up in the air.
She strengthened the frame and patched up the sail,
Added some skis, controls and a tail.
She dragged the contraption to the top of a hill,
Muttering quietly, "This will work, it will!"
The penguins and cameramen had come to watch Sue,
The men climbed some rocks to get the best view.
She sped down the ramp and then up off the lip,
And just for a moment escaped gravity's grip,
Then as soon as it started she felt herself slow,
And she landed, bump, back on the snow.
Dejected, despondent, Sue began to despair,
"I'll never be airborne, it just isn't fair."
Just then she heard an ear-splitting yell,
And turned as one of the cameramen fell.
He landed and twisted and damaged his knee,
The other man cried out, "Oh! Dearie me!
What will we do? You know I can't fly."
Their helicopter stood on the ice-pack nearby.
Sue didn't think, no one could have stopped her,
She headed directly to the crew's helicopter.
She picked up the manual, flicked through its pages,
Started the engine, checked all the gauges.
Then up rose the chopper, Sue at the controls,
(She worked the foot pedals with two old ski poles.)
She hovered above the men, lowered the winch,
Then gently she raised them, slow inch by inch.
Once she was sure they were safely aboard,
She rose, banked and turned and away they all soared.
Sue dropped off the men at a hospital base,
Then climbed down from the 'copter, a smile on her face.
"We're looking for pilots," said a uniformed man,
"You'd be welcome to join us. If you want to, you can."
Sue shook her head and plopped back in the sea,
"I've shown that I can. That's plenty for me."
She swam back to join her friends on the ice,
As she settled to sleep she sighed, "This is nice,"
But as she gazed at the moon she was struck by a thought;
"Why couldn't a penguin be an astronaut?"
By Pete Thomas