Saturday, September 22, 2018

AT SCHOOL WHERE YOU LEARN*


all sorts of things – about people and countries
and animals – did you happen to learn about
White Lions? I know I didn’t, didn’t even know
they existed until I saw them at a Safari Zoo, then
learned they are not an anomaly but are a breed 
unto themselves. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, 
but the rare white lions of Timbavati are not albino, 
their colour is due to a recessive gene variant 
called leucistic. Their skin and coat colour vary 
from pure white to tawny blonde, and, unlike 
albino animals, they don’t have pink/red eyes 
or skin – the colour of their eyes runs the gamut 
from hazel-golden, to green, to blue. They’re in 
danger of extinction but are also being protected 
in zoos around the world.

*From E. Bachinsky’s poem For the Teen Moms 
at the Valley Fair Mall (4.and furthermore) 
from the book, Home of Sudden Service.





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