POSSUM POETRY & PROSE

Annie
You clung to me, 
Little fingers griping my shirt,
Head pressed against my heart,
As you nuzzled in my arms.

During these last moments,
I felt your gratefulness, your readiness
To leave this earthly life.

My sorrow is outweighed by
The valuable lessons you taught me…
About living, about caring, about unselfishness,
And accepting what cannot be changed.

My time with you
Could not have been better spent.
I shall never forget you.
Goodbye little Annie.

"O" is for Opossum of popular fame.
Knows enough to hang on
Take advice - do the same.

From a 1917 Post card of
opossum hanging upside down

Have you heard of the 
nothing impossible possum
Whose faith and belief made
 His dream to blossom?

Quote from the Christian Mother Goose Treasury

 Two tricks has a 'possum
When danger is near.
To climb to a treetop
Or hiss full of fear.
But when these two fail
He tries this instead,
Rolls up like a ball
And pretends he is dead.

From the book "The Opossums" by Anne LaBastille

OPOSSUM OPOEM by L. M. Tinz
You find them in the city, in the country, at the beach
In parks, in canyons, in a yard eating a peach

Rarely white, mostly black or gray
White face, pink nose, black ears they display

 With beady dark eyes so sensitive to light
They much prefer to come out at night

Long whiskers and a nose that is pointed
Little hands with fingers that are jointed

They eat everything from snails to plums
Did I mention they have opposable thumbs?

Upon mom's back ride thirteen babies
Don't worry these guys do not get rabies

They sometimes will hiss, even snarl or click
They climb using their tail to hang on to a stick

If it looks like he's sleeping and should be in bed
 He might be afraid and is just playing dead

Fifty sharp teeth to keep people distant
Set in a jaw that snaps shut in an instant

On the female you will find a pouch
If you try to look in it you'll surely yell "Ouch!"

70 million years they have remained
Since the dinosaur age, virtually unchanged

Just what are these unusual creatures
With so many astonishing features?

Did they come from another planet
With no other life form on it?

An animal such as this is really quite awesome
By now you know this could only be a POSSUM!

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Mahatma Gandhi