ABHAY K.
sea of innocence
exuding amber light
—lemur’s eyes (1)
*
an ascetic meditating
turned upside down
—the baobab tree (2)
*
giant eggs in drawing rooms
—where have all
the elephant birds gone? (3)
*
always ready
for a party
—red fody (4)
*
how much
green gecko loves—
the bright winter sun
*
a boa clings tightly
to a tree twig—
forest fire
*
rubbing quills
in the rainforest
—striped tenrec (5)
*
a hoopoe couple
nesting in the wall-hole
how long will they stay?
*
a traveler’s palm
anywhere—
lights up the heart (6)
*
twin ring-tailed baby lemurs
clinging to their mother’s fur
—a hungry fossa lurking around (7)
(Photos by the author)
1) Lemurs are mammals consisting of over 100 species, which are only found in Madagascar.
2) Baobab is a deciduous tree that grows in arid regions of Madagascar. Out of nine species of Baobab, six are endemic to Madagascar. They live for thousands of years and are also known as the tree of life.
3)Elephant birds were giant flightless birds that once lived in Madagascar but are extinct now.
4) Red fody is a common bird found in Madagascar. The male of the species is bright red with black markings around each eye.
5)Tenrec is a mammal endemic to Madagascar resembling shrews or hedgehogs
6) Traveler’s palm or Ravenala is not a true palm whose enormous paddle-shaped leaves give it an appearance of a half ferris-wheel.
7)Fossa is the largest carnivore and predator of Madagascar.