Phillip Hodgins wrote one.
A great one about ibises.
They were a less scraggly, dissolute lot
than mine. Less louche.
I like the way he described them:
‘They had bodies the shape of caraway seeds,
and long black bills that curved like scythes’.
There is awe in his writing, respect.
He speaks of them flying in great flocks
casting deep shadows over the land
before descending like gods
beneficent as rain
aerating the soil, grubbing for bugs..
The farmer’s friend.
The Sacred Ibis of ancient Egypt.
I think I sold the ibises short.
- pic courtesy of Wiki Commons
John Malone 
glad you apologized to them ) but they are rather odd looking )
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they certainly are; there’s one walking across the driveway of Davis Court as we speak, waddling along like an old duck: sometimes I know how he feels 🙂
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LOL Each is entitled to an opinion, so some say. 😁. Just thought of that joke then. They are such peculiar looking birds with their bald heads and wrinkly eye sockets. I want to love them for their oddities. And when they’re in a great field (as pictured) or wading in flood pools, I do. But when I see them in bins, I find them harder to love which is a little unfair given that the rubbish is our fault. It’s nice to think of them sailing over Egypt.
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aha; love your description of them, esp that last lyrical one 🙂
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Don’t sell yourself short on selling them short John. It’s important to keep the Holy Ones humble. It keeps them from getting big, potentially messy ideas.
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haha; I like your attitude; thanks 🙂
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Absolutely true! Can’t give then too much footage and let it go to their bald heads 🙂
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aha; I like that 🙂
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I’ve heard them described far worse. Bin chooks in Australia as they are often raiding bins in parks etc. Brisbane has heaps of them
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ha; we have two to three hang out around an old abandoned house down the road apiece; no one pays them any mind, except me for poetic purposes 🙂
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It’s all about perspective, John. To each their own words and thoughts. 🙂
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very true, Terveen ; they get on with their lives, we get on with ours —
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Glad you came back to this. And give the ibises a second shot.
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thanks so much, Bob; it;s rare I come back to a topic after I’ve ‘run it down’ but reading Hodgins poem made me look at ibises anew —
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That’s a good one, John. There are ibises where I live. At least we see them every spring. Never thought of them as sacred though…just large beautiful birds 🙂
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that’s a good way of looking at them 🙂 have you done an bis poem for your animal collection?
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Thanks for the suggestion. Never had an encounter with them. I have only seen them fly above our rooftop and last week they were eating the field across the road. But I’ll try. 😁
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they would make an interesting addition; and they’d be honored 🙂
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They remind me of less attractive Canada geese. The geese poop all over, so they’re a nuisance for landowners, especially those with pristine lawns. 😀
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that would not endear them to the genteel folk of Davis Court 🙂
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Yes you did! But this poem makes up for it.
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