COOT FEET

Coots, ubiquitous unassuming water birds,
black with a white bill,
have spectacularly big feet for their small body size,
though you seldom see the feet underwater
since they’re busy paddling
with the flaps, or lobes, of those remarkable toes.

Coots aren’t ducks.
They’re relatives of elegant long-legged cranes.
Perhaps they were cursed, shrunk from
stature and size of a crane,
banished to lowly pond existence,
and allowed one unique feature – their feet,
useful for crossing plant-choked marshland.

So, beware! If vanity seduces you as an elegant crane,
you might be cursed to coot size, though you’ll have the benefit
of spectacular toes, and, perhaps, live to an ‘old coot’ age
of 22 coot years (probably equal to 100 human years).

ॐ"♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥"ॐ