Fudge And The Leaping Lizard Poem by Sidi Mahtrow

Found a lizard on the floor,
Was creeping toward the door.
T'was caught, in hand, clean
And after examination, healthy deemed.

Though an unlikely domestic pet,
And yet?
Could from the house be cast out
To the garden, near about.

Would be an insect eating resident
And could be admired, from time to time, in any event.
So was decided; the lizard's fate was sealed,
And at the door to it, the garden was revealed.

Clasped in hand, so secure,
The lizard would be out - problem cured.
Yet in a moment, reconsideration, did befall
As the lizard had a different mind to forestall.

A lizard is a curious thing,
And examination by others, is a sure thing.
Notice of what is provided,
To other animals, so interested.

So was that lizard proudly shown
To those about, that were chosen.
Disaster, when the lizard was made to appear,
To Fudge, a horse, not exactly his peer.

Who dutifully sniffed it with an air,
As if to say, in hand, what have you there?
The lizard, not desiring this attention,
Was time for some other action.

And when the mighty Arabian gave a sniff,
The lizard decided was time to go and be off.
So into the nostril flaring wide
Was a dandy place to hide.

With a bound that would make Superman proud
The Liz took flight and was soon not found.
For into the opening the Lizard upward went.
Alas, not the end of this event!

For the holder (past)
Discovered the Lizard was lost.
And in a wail of despair
Cried out, 'He's gone in there! '

Of course Fudge was slow to know
That there was something up his nose.
Standing there calmly by the fence
Ignoring the most recent past event.

Humans have a way of saying,
Sniffing is your way of doing,
A different animal that you are,
How you can sniff my property, it is no more.

Peering up a horses nose
Is not the easiest thing, I suppose.
But regardless, no liz was in sight
It was clear; it was up there, alright.

Yet, perhaps it has reversed its course
And had dropped from the nostril of the horse.
Alas, no such was seen
For no Lizard was there on the scene.

With eyes bulging with tears,
(The child's not the horse's) , a scream,
In it, it went
And there it stays at this moment.

There with studied anxiety, a response
From Fudge who stood as if in a trance.
With shaking head, and ears laid back
And neck stretched out as if in a frenzy attack.

Made a choking noise
A 'garach' the best sound coming close.
(Explain this to the vet if you can,
How to retrieve a lizard out of hand.)

Perhaps an 'oesphageal extraction'
Of the lizard is the medical action?
Wonders never cease
For the Vet is hard to please.

No reward is just
Cash is what is deemed the best.
(Receipt of first born
Is scorned.)

Another sound of distress
'GARACH' came from nose, head and chest.
For the sound of man, a sneezing,
But for the horse, such as this, a wheezing.

Standing there awaiting what,
As Fudge shuffled about
More antics of head, neck and chest
He was in deep distress.

Suddenly, gulping air on high
He sensed this was no time to die,
And he had nothing else to lose
Gargling sounds as the horse through his nostrils blew.

(While the child close by with teary eye
Pleaded, Dear God, don't let him die.)
Close by the nostrils, hand held gently
To comfort the horse in its infirmity.

Suddenly, an explosive snort
And from the left nostril came out,
A huge glop of jellied slime
Emitted finally, and just in time.

Size of a ball that fell into the hand
Of the child from which tears ran.
And there to behold
Was a green mass, growing cold.

To be sure, the horse was interested too
To see what was the cause of much ado.
There interned in the thick massive glob
A bubbly slime of green and gold.
Was the lizard of 'old? '

Like an animal creature of the past
Embedded in amber whose fate was cast,
Having experienced a bout with the unknown
The Lizard had changed color to atone.

But in the the past reminder from which he'd parted
Was a change in color he'd just studied.
Not green, or yellow or other colors
His was just a pale, compared to the others.

The body, lifeless, it appeared
But to dispose quickly, in death, was feared.
Then like Lazarus arising from the grave,
The exhaled lizard a wiggle gave.

Slithered from its jelled tomb
And sensed that it must be away, and soon.
Like a tadpole or fish emerging
From the egg, the Liz crawled, twisted and was free.

And like times of old
The horse, Fudge, seemed so bold
As if to look and as if to say,
This is a strange way to spend my day.

But an apple would be good
A reward for the time
And what I've done for you.

s

This poem is based on a story by L. Mc Donald about her family's horse, Fudge, and its encounter with a lizard.