Poem: "Animal Families"
This poem is from the November 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from siege. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.
Animal Families
There is not one way of reproduction
but many, animal families
refracted through different faces.
Western gulls can be lesbians.
Two females build a nest together
and both lay eggs in it --
sometimes fertilized by
a brief encounter with a male.
Male seahorses get pregnant.
The mother deposits her eggs
in the male's pouch,
where they develop and hatch.
He protects the hatchlings
until they can fend for themselves.
Elephants are matriarchal.
They live in families led
by the oldest female,
with the mothers sharing
the care of their calves,
while males may be solitary
or belong to a bachelor herd.
Tamarins have two daddies.
A mother tamarin often bears twins,
choosing two male friends
(who may or may not be the father)
to carry them and care for them,
bringing the babies to her
when they need to nurse.
Jellyfish have options.
They can reproduce
sexually or asexually,
and in some lakes
the population consists of
only males or only females.
Rheas are polygamous.
All the mothers lay their eggs
in the same big nest,
where the father broods them,
eventually raising the chicks himself.
Bonobos use sex for conflict resolution.
If there is not enough food to go around,
they all make out together
and then share what they have.
Nothing is unnatural.
All forms of families
appear in nature and
seem to work for somebody.
* * *
Notes:
I started with this article on "Animal Fathers."
You can also read more about western gulls, elephants, jellyfish, rheas, and bonobos.