Photo from Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Wow! That’s some crazy adaptive trick! Alligators, feeling the unusual chill of this winter and the onset of ice, have gone into a period of brumation*. That’s essentially the reptilian version of hibernation. They stick their snouts out of the ice so they can breathe, go into a semi-vegetative state, and….well, survive! I never thought I’d feel sorry for an alligator, but mixed with my admiration for their innate survival skills is a distinct feeling of pity– that ice just does not look comfortable up against that alligator skin. Can alligators get frost bite?
Cold Snap
Winter creeps with stealth and speed
Alligator, best take heed!
In cold wind’s wake, an icy snare
Alligator, best beware!
Winter springs her freezing trap
Alligator, LOOK OUT…
SNAP!
M. Hogan (c) 2018
And with a nod to Lewis Carroll,
How doth the wind of winter
blast out its frigid tale
til swampy waters splinter
on each reptilian scale
How stealthily it forms a skin
How neatly primes its trap
And welcomes alligators in
with gripping icy SNAP!
M. Hogan (c) 2018
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by J.G. Annino at her blog, BookSeedStudio. Stop by to start your long weekend off right with her post honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and with links to poems galore.
*Oops! I just corrected this to read brumation–originally I had erroneously typed bromation. Sorry!
Nix the comfort zone 
Both poems are are brilliant.
The image is startling (I had somehow missed it & I live in FLA where alligators are often a hot topic.)
You have snapped me to attention!
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My husband pointed this photo out to me, as I had also missed it. Isn’t it amazing? Thanks again for hosting this week!
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I saw that news feed and photo, Molly. I was shocked and yes, also, felt sorry for the alligators. You did a marvelous job of recreating that moment for me.
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Well it is quite a whirl to host, as I suspected. But for a first-timer I pled ignorance, previously to what a party it is for the host. I have never felt so connected with the P.F. creatives than this past week. Makes me wish we could collect in person at a picnic, by a river, by the shore & spend a sunny day together. Thank you for so much support.
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Fabulous poems! Lately, I have a lot of fun responding to a poem with a poem. You have given a great example of that here. Have you heard that Miranda Paul is looking for children’s poems? Read her fb message. https://www.facebook.com/mirandapaulbooks/posts/10155893398039088
Just planting a seed here.
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Thanks for the link, Linda. I’ll definitely check that out!
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Wow, I’d never heard of bromation! Isn’t nature just incredible? Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you discover something fascinating like this! Thanks for sharing, and for your brilliant poem!
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I’d never heard of it either, Jane. One thing I love about writing is how it sends me off to investigate and discover new things.
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What fun! I love the rhyme and rhythm — well done! 🙂
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Thanks, Keri. It was fun to try something different. (Not so much fun for the gators, I imagine!)
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Wow. Such fun poems that ALMOST had me liking alligators, but definitely had me smiling a big alligator smile 🙂
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I can relate well to that “ALMOST”, Sally! I did feel bad for these guys, but also find them a bit….well, terrifying. I’m always stunned by Floridians who casually post pics of alligators in their backyards. I wonder if they view my snowy landscapes the same way? I mean, clearly ice has jaws more powerful than a gator’s–at least in this photo.
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These are fabulous poems! I saw the poor alligators on the news one night. They made me smile, but do not make me any more eager to meet one up close. I’m also feeling sorry for the residents of NC. I grew up there and know they are not prepared to deal with this kind of cold for this long!
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Thanks, Kay. When my husband showed the alligators to me, I said, “Oh, there’s a poem in that picture!”
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Wow, one learns something new everyday! These are fun, Molly.
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Thanks, Matt. They were fun to write as well.
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Love the poem! Great rhythm, flow, and imagery. Like the alligators, I have been hibernating too. I barely left home for about 5 days due to the bitter cold. LOL
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Thanks! The cold has been harsh, hasn’t it? We stuck close to home (and the constantly burning wood stove) as well.
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Oh my. I love both of these. My Kindergarteners have been fascinated by the alligator photo all week. That and the footage of iguanas dropping out of trees!
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I heard about those iguanas! Carl Hiassen started a book (Chomp, I think) with a man getting seriously injured by a falling frozen iguana (though this one had died in a cold freeze). Truth leads to entertaining fiction!
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Yikes!
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This reminded me of a picturebook I just read: Professional Alligator – powerful image and words! 🙂
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Intriguing book title. It makes me wonder what a professional alligator might do. Why does my mind go straight to dentistry? It must be all those teeth!
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Very clever, Molly! I love how you’ve used the news to inspire your poetry.
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Thanks, Violet. I do love when images or news events spark poems. It’s such a nice helpful boost.
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Wow! I’ve learned something new!
Now I’m wondering how it feels to be a bromating alligator when your exposed snout starts to warm up. Also, are there any brave animals who would grab that sleepy gator by the nose and take advantage of an easy(ier) meal? So many questions!!
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Our thoughts went in similar directions, Mary Lee. I also wondered about creeping up on a bromating alligator and rough-drafted this in my notebook:
Alligator, you’re not that scary.
See me stepping near?
You’re really rather ordinary,
not a thing to fear.
Alligator, I’ll even touch you
right upon your head.
Oh, Alligator! How you scared me!
I thought that you were dead!
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These are both delightful! We have alligators, as you know, down here in the deep south. Our waters don’t freeze, though. I love imagining the trap of ice on those ugly snouts.
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Thanks, Margaret. I can’t imagine sharing space with alligators!
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These are really fun Molly and My heart too goes out to the alligator, though he probably doesn’t need it!
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Oh, those are funny, and I do feel a bit of sympathy for the gators for the first time. I imagine they will be so hungry when the warm up a bit.
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These are terrific, Molly. I can’t wait to share these with our animal-loving Kindergarteners! Hope you’re staying warm!
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[…] Added from a Comment below. Check out the photo of this alligator in the state of brumation enclosed in ice! And there’s some poetry to go along! Oh! I can feel the elements of […]
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