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rs.</p><div id="2cd8" class="link-block"> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/13/russian-supertrawlers-off-scottish-coast-fears-uk-marine-life"> <div> <div> <h2>Russian supertrawlers off Scottish coast spark fears for UK marine life</h2> <div><h3>A fleet of Russian supertrawlers has been spotted fishing off the coast of Scotland in a protected area, raising…</h3></div> <div><p>www.theguardian.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*vIugcOHg5ewn7owN)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="2cd5">Anyone caught feeding a gull in a coastal town will be fined £80. Baby gulls are supposed to be left alone, their parents might be nearby. If the baby gull is touched the parents may reject it.</p><p id="27d2">This young Lari had been in the back garden for over a month. Possibly its parents were feeding it. Possibly my neighbours were. Definitely the creature still couldn’t fly. I didn’t want it to starve to death.</p><p id="8fc9">I called The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They came out the same day to rescue the Lari juvenile from the garden at the back of my building.</p><p id="3aa1">The wonderful animal and bird rescue officer who came to check said that the bird was thinner than he should be and it was evident his collarbone had been broken. She grabbed the bird by his legs and wing tips — not before he’d thwacked her thumb with his good wing — and took him to her van where she had a comfy nest waiting for him.</p><div id="0fcc" class="link-block"> <a href="https://www.scottishspca.org/advice/wildlife/air/baby-birds"> <div> <div> <h2>Baby Birds | SSPCA</h2> <div><h3>Our animal rescue officers and inspectors went out to over 82,000 reports of animals in need in 2019 - and almost 10%…</h3></div> <div><p>www.scottishspca.org</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*_nwdeNJCZfanjCZw)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="ded1">I have high hopes that the bird’s collarbone will be treated and when mended the creature will be released in the SSPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre.</p><p id="5fea">Thank you for reading.</p><p id="dd88">This poem is in r

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esponse to a prompt from <a href="undefined">Geetika Sethi</a>. Sorry, it’s not a haiku or tanka. You can find out more about the original prompt in her story.</p><div id="d63d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/love-bird-3703949a0840"> <div> <div> <h2>Love Bird</h2> <div><h3>An intelligent feathered friend for life who can try to speak what you teach unlike the one’s who can only sweep you…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*3VuIpUp6BE8bSJA7)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="ca31">Other projects and prompts.</p><div id="8657" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/collective-nouns-project-14e664f7fceb"> <div> <div> <h2>Collective Nouns Project</h2> <div><h3>Will you join me in promoting the myriad collective nouns in the English language?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*f8oEYG9dkVfUgVLJ)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="756d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/feeling-ancient-this-morning-3bc948b72efa"> <div> <div> <h2>Feeling Ancient This Morning</h2> <div><h3>A poem about making it through the day.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*ooxfdhOr2i59ySD_)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="26f7" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/introducing-the-words-in-motion-project-by-the-crew-cd7526a44884"> <div> <div> <h2>Introducing the Words In Motion Project by The Crew</h2> <div><h3>Join Us As We Play With Words</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*IbuK-qAqyNhR-1NX)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

POETRY PROMPT

A Lari Chick’s Hungry Hoopla

Don’t blame the gulls for stealing your sandwich.

Photo Courtesy of Author

From the nest, damaged wing,

Was he pushed or did he fall?

Half the speckled fluff ball flaps fine

The other far less than divine

A kind heart rescues

the tot from lone street life

Torn flight mechanism

there’s no escape

No parent gulls to whine to

Force regurgitated morsels

No excited hoots, squawks, croons

When their spawn tests his innate skills

Crying, screaming, screeching

Feed me, feed me, feed me!

Hoopla in the grassy patch

Pitch food you two-legged tree

Feed me, feed me, feed me!

Paddling in a baby bath

Cawing for gulls who never come

Flight testing, no joy.

A plumper pal demonstrates the art

The dejected juvenile opens his flight tools

Despite the unnatural shape of one

He waggles and shakes and rises

Above the lawn a hand’s span

Then plops back down again

Days later it’s a foot high

Still his collarbone pains

Are mum and dad dropping

vomit unnoticed for their Lari chick?

A diet of dog food intermittent

Is adding no fat to his frame

Leave him to fend for himself

The two-legged tree is little help

Forced to independence

This forlorn Lari chick is left to chance.

Photo Courtesy of Author

If gulls had enough food in their natural habitat, they wouldn’t be coming inland unless a storm was brewing.

To stop gulls dive-bombing people eating on the streets, careless or drunk people need to stop dropping their junk food. I’ve witnessed it in Kirkcaldy, a Scottish coastal town.

Higher up the food chain, Britain needs to do more to protect its fishing waters from Russian super trawlers.

Anyone caught feeding a gull in a coastal town will be fined £80. Baby gulls are supposed to be left alone, their parents might be nearby. If the baby gull is touched the parents may reject it.

This young Lari had been in the back garden for over a month. Possibly its parents were feeding it. Possibly my neighbours were. Definitely the creature still couldn’t fly. I didn’t want it to starve to death.

I called The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They came out the same day to rescue the Lari juvenile from the garden at the back of my building.

The wonderful animal and bird rescue officer who came to check said that the bird was thinner than he should be and it was evident his collarbone had been broken. She grabbed the bird by his legs and wing tips — not before he’d thwacked her thumb with his good wing — and took him to her van where she had a comfy nest waiting for him.

I have high hopes that the bird’s collarbone will be treated and when mended the creature will be released in the SSPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre.

Thank you for reading.

This poem is in response to a prompt from Geetika Sethi. Sorry, it’s not a haiku or tanka. You can find out more about the original prompt in her story.

Other projects and prompts.

Poetry
Prompt
Illumination
Birds
Life
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