Poem

REQUIEM FOR A SKINK

His tail had a hue of electrical blue,

Or perhaps you could say it was neon,

And we kept him enclosed in a miniature zoo

'Til the weather went well below freon.

He was monikered "Flash" on account of his speed;

He was limber of sinew and muscle,

But with no room to dash, Flash's flesh atrophied,

And he shuffled where once he had hustled.

So I came home one day and discovered with grief

That our lizard was now beyond pining:

He was stiffly draped over the stem of a leaf

In a posture which spoke of resigning.

Now I don't really know if he died from the cold,

Or got parched beyond all re-hydration,

But the skink bit the dust, just as all of us must,

Thus, this bit of skink eulogization.