The largest of the possums is
a common one. She comes
from the Greek for ‘furry tailed’
and the Latin for ‘little fox’
and you’ve probably seen her
running along your back fence
in the dark or kicking back in
the
She falls asleep easily and
sometimes comes a cropper
if the branch is unsteady.
She can hold the world in a hug.
The most medium of the possums
is curly and quiet in his eyes
and he smiles like an upside
down cat. He comes
from the Latin for ‘pilgrim’
but you will only see him
calm as a shrine to the night.
His tail curves like a coil of
woodsmoke, white at the tip
as a conductor’s baton
a perfect ferrule for pairing
journeys with songs.
The smallest of the possums
is outlined in kohl and walks
the tops of trees like a red carpet
she was born to make flowers
into stardom and eats
her fill of honey without breaking
the blossom. She comes
from the Latin for ‘neat’
and has a lot surface area
that can lose heat quickly.
Larger possums hold her
keep each other warm.
Today's poem is based on suggestions from three peeps:
- @cochineal: “awards ceremonies”
- @jellyjellyfish: “tall possums”
- @margolanagan: “I think you should include three kinds of marsupial.”
The largest Australian possum is the Common Brushtail Possum. They're the ones you see everywhere, and (I discovered one evening after a movie) they like popcorn. Well, the ones in the Carlton Gardens do.
A mid-size Australian possum is the Common Ringtail Possum. They have long, prehensile white-tipped tails that remind me of conducting batons. I think they would make good mixtapes.
The world's smallest possum is the Tasmanian Pygmy Possum. It's the one in the picture, and it's about the size of a mouse. They're omnivorous, and when they eat pollen, they don't destroy the flower in the process. Aren't they lovely?
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