A Capybara's Eye

A Capybara’s View of the World

The capybara’s eye sees the world differently.

Peeking over the lid of the swamp like the orbs of a dreaded crocodile
The dank aspect of them, squinted into mascara lines and longest lashes,
Watch for death through innocence.

We sit two feet, three feet, in a Jeep high above the marsh world
Immune to its dangers, removed from the essence of its beauty
Watching for death that is not ours.

Beneath the surface of floating hyacinth, scent and scented,
The undulating current suspends the weak and the strong
Waiting for nature to sort them into bins.

A cry! The shriek of an infant torn from its mother’s safety!
The wailing of loss. The gasp of surprise from those in the Jeep.
But it’s only a capybara after all.

The capybara’s eye sees the world differently.

As you can see, my owner wrote a dumb poem about capybaras. That got her thinking that virtually anyone could write a dumb poem about capybaras. So she decided to have another contest. This is a poetry contest.  Here are the rules.

• Poem must contain the word capybara
• Poem must not be more than 100 lines long
• Contest ends on September 11th, 2010
• No profanity, must be kid-friendly

The poem does not have to be in English. Including a photo to illustrate your poem probably helps.

Prizes are:

• A copy of my book, Celeste and the Giant Hamster
• A Caplin Rous, the World’s Most Famous Capybara mug
• A plush Caplin Rous (won’t be available for a couple of months)
• Dokidoki plastic toy capybara (sitting or standing, take your pick)

First place winner gets first choice of prize, 2nd place winner choses from remaining prizes, third place winner gets third choice of prizes.

Voting Closed

Winners are:

1st:   Kristy Ogden – selected plush Caplin Rous
2nd: Stephanie Gardner – selected standing Dokidoki capybara
3rd:  Lynn Marcotte

Great poetry everyone!

And here’s one final poem that did not make it in on time.

Patti Notestine

My Capybara Poem

Oh to be one of the lucky people,
to own a capybara.
I’ve seen the pics, and silently wished
for a girl that Id name Clara.

Id take her swimming every day,
and take pictures of her splashing.
And with her wet coat shaken dry,
I bet she’d be quite dashing.

Id take her for walks down by the school,
to show all the little children.
I’d let them pet her, I’m sure she would love.
all the chatter and attention.

Sometimes I would take her to the park,
and walk down by the river.
Im sure she would be quite a spectacle,
And make all the little ducks quiver.

At home at night I would give her a snack,
and then its time for bed.
We cuddle together under the blankets,
her very own pillow to rest her head.

She dreams of veggies and fruit and treats,
and all the good things she wants to eat.
And when she wakes in the morning she looks at me,
with that cute little look that says, “Mom, its time to pee!”

So down to the pool we go to start another day,
my darling capy leading the way.
I hope one day that it can be,
For me a wonderful reality.
Continue reading “Capy Contest 2!” »