Hole-driller
Equipped with hard-tipped
Chisel bill.
—
Its nostrils
Covered by feathers –
Keep out dust.
—
A thick skull
To protect the brain
While drilling.
—
A built-in
Shock absorber to
Cushion blows.
—
Long curved toes:
Two forward, two back
For clinging.
—
For balance
Against tree while drilling:
Short, stiff tail.
—
A long tongue,
Wrapped ‘round back of skull –
Probe the hole.
—
Well-equipped
By its great designer –
The Maker.
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photo by Karunakar Rayker at http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/2dkzW2U/Woodpecker
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* The haiku I write are lines of 3-5-3 syllables instead of 5-7-5.
See Haiku article here for explanation, if needed: https://thebardonthehill.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/haiku/
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© Dennis Lange and thebardonthehill.wordpress.com, 2015.
It’s strange that we don’t have a woodpecker type bird in Australia – perhaps the large cockatoos that strip away the bark are the closest – well done.