Student Publishing Program ::

Benjamin Leader

The Beginner’s Dive

The frigatebirds dart through the swollen clouds,
Their eager eyes pierce through the ocean shroud.
Scoping for the sign of a tasty fish,
Each bird sends out his own ravenous wish.

A naïve young bird soon wanders from the pack,
Hoping to find his own succulent snack.
He scans white-tipped waves for glistening fins,
And spotting a lone fish, the hunt begins.

His wings fold back as he enters a fall.
His elders’ lessons do the bird recall.
He hears the wind scream out a thunderous roar,
And feels a rush he never has before.

Before the ocean blue he does obtrude,
He spreads his wings and regains altitude.
Too soon he climbs back up into the sky,
Not having dipped his beak and got the prize.

Back up into the clouds the novice goes,
No scrumptious snack his noble effort shows.
He looks back down scanning for one more fish.
Right under him is the eluding dish.

This slimy fish he will not let escape.
He dives back down, his crooked beak agape.
This business with the fish he must conclude.
He has to dunk his beak to get the food.

The bird now sheds his previous concern,
And soon is past the point of no return.
His beak does reach the waves and is consumed,
And now the hungry bird is surely doomed.

For though the bird has reached his precious treat,
He sunk below the water to his feet.
And while frigatebirds have tremendous wings,
If they get wet they cease their functioning.

He surfaces his head above the waves,
And one last breath of air the poor bird saves,
Then sinks below the sea and soon is lost.
His greediness was not without a cost.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2011 EDITION]