The Earth Is Not Flat

Penguin and Human

57 Penguin and Human Which report would you believe, Sitting in your parlor back in London In, say, 1550: the new world sighting Of the unicorn you’ve seen in paintings And read about in poems, now at last Witnessed; or that of these creatures Waddling over rocks and icebergs, waving Useless wings? Invented by some Disreputable tar, drunk Or snow-blind. There, on land, is where They seem most like us, distracted And inept, or would if they paid Attention to our intrusions. They don’t Recognize us, busy with this Pebble or that, with an egg then a chick, With the enormous brown skuas waiting Right over there for a look at something Delectable. They fail to notice. Then one 58 Takes to the water and takes Our breath—flight stitching wave to sky First going by, then coming round Again—flirting with our boat’s Deep idle purr; and each of us, turning Head to follow, saying, Oh. ...