we humans love our penguins, it’s not doubted
when oohs and aahs are polled and tabulated
gentoo, chinstrap or adelie
triumph over gull, tern, shag (the bird, and maybe the activity)
how chuffed we are to learn
(from steve)
our feelings aren’t unrequited
gentoos, it appear, love back the human presence
liking to nest where people have peopled
choosing this old Argentine search and rescue shack
as the site for their conquest
a penguin outhouse?
an ice-boat?
the gentoos at Port Luckroy have nested
dated, consumated
gestated
4 lasses and a lad cultivate them and the tour boats
visiting the station’s museum and gift shop
where limited edition commemorative
jackets of Scott’s southern grounding
go for u s dollars 375
it’s a sought-after posting
to summer this way
advertised annually by the trust
now tasked to preserve
this secret spy base
circa second world war
in the library old copies of
reader’s digest and ice station zebra
make me nostalgic for cosy childhood
(not to mention the bottle of bovril)
i remember them later
when i squeeze in an hour
crunching through brash ice
on a kayak
antipodal 2011 