Pondering a Puffin

by Brian A. Hartford

What a strange product of Nature,

the Puffin, is to what I refer.

Large orange beaked,

attached to a small head.

The body isn’t much of which to
speak,

black plumage, and not much more.

What miracle that such a design,

will support such a structure.

The white breast,

orange webbed feet,

such a clownish appearance.

The eyes highlight the costume,

small dots in a white feather field.

Is this costume for camouflage or,

for a darker spirit?

In Nature, it is not wise to guess,

it is uniqueness.

Fisherman by design,

to swim natural as it’s flight.

A source of amasement to me,

sheer joy to know he exists.

He returns to the cliffs of his
birth,

guards the nest.

protecting his unborn from the snare,

hazard of being a gastronomic
delight.

What a joy to know the puffin,

It is good to know he exists.

I am amused to think that,

the joke is on me.

BAH

Puffin!

Underwater, a premier danseur,
his turns a blur,
his orange feet steer

through the orchestra
of seaweed and tide,
this sea parrot, this clown

of the Atlantic, harlequin-billed
with jester’s eyes;
take one for your own

and the dance of life
takes a turn. The one I choose,
Nureyev,

is on his fifth mate,
despite the fact that puffins
are monogamous: no guilt

on Eastern Egg Rock!
What’s important
is the burrow

lined with grass and sticks,
that he was seen
approaching the nest

with a half dozen fish in his bill.
While his wings spin
like a windmill at sea,

on land he hops awkwardly
across rocks, wings tucked
under the tail of his tuxedo.

In spring, he’s genius
of the thermals,
the sun whispers stage directions,

gravity reveals its secrets
as he flies toward his island
without map or compass
from far across the sea.

— Suellen Wedmore

There Once Was a Puffin

Oh, there once was a Puffin
Just the shape of a muffin,
And he lived on an island
In the bright blue sea!

He ate little fishes,
That were most delicious,
And he had them for supper
And he had them for tea.

But this poor little Puffin,
He couldn’t play nothin’,
For he hadn’t anybody
To play with at all.

So he sat on his island,
And he cried for awhile, and
He felt very lonely,
And he felt very small.

Then along came the fishes,
And they said, “If you wishes,
You can have us for playmates,
Instead of for tea!”

So they now play together,
In all sorts of weather,
And the Puffin eats pancakes,
Like you and like me.

by Florence Page Jaques

I found yet another free Puffin Game online, Prodly the Puffin. It is not a graphics based game. It is a text adventure game, a ‘tale of one bravely puffin in search for his pitchfork’. You simply type in what you want to do next and then read what happens… etc. etc. Think about the first computer games—it is like them. It is still fun and cute. Try it here.
PARENTS this game does have weapons — you cannot see them as it is not a graphic-based game but it talks about them.

Another fun puffin game… because puffins are cute. =) It is family-friendly fun! Click on the game if you want it! =)

Here is what the publisher has to say about this game:

Have fun with some auk-cellent birds!

Enjoy fun games and discover fascinating facts about the playful puffin! Spot wild animals on safari, solve jigsaw puzzles, play fun matching games, watch informative video and challenge the multi-level slider puzzle to discover trivia about these unique seabirds. It’s non-stop entertainment for all ages!

Features:

• Multiple levels of difficulty
• 4 entertaining games: Animal Safari, Jigsaw Puzzle, Slider Challenge and Matching Puzzle
• Learn fun facts about puffins from a documentary video and a puffin storybook

You can get the game here.

Another puffin game… Puffin Putt — you play 18 holes of online golf through manicured grass and sand–all as a cute little puffin. Its pretty fun. Here are some screenshots:

Screenshot -- Puffin Putt Online Game

Ok, not bad…

Puffin Putt Online Game

Click HERE to play the Puffin Putt Game online.

How adorable! They made a Nintendo DS game all about Puffins—Puffins: Adventure Island. You can see a bunch of adorable screen shots and read all about it here.

read more | digg story

The PuffinLady shared this link with me and I thought I would share it with all of you. If you click on the picture below it will take you to a new page where you can play this fun online game, “Lovin’ My Puffin“. You will get to dress a puffin! How fun is that?

Dress-A-Puffin Online @ Puffinbooks.co.uk

They also have a very cute little animation on their green page with a
puffin. You can watch it here.

We have added puffin crossword puzzles, puffin word searches, word games, puffin pictures to print and color… oh! How fun! You should check it out –> Look over to the right and see the animated icon “Fun, Games and Coloring Pages” and then click on it. It will bring you to our “Fun Stuff” page. We will be adding new stuff as often as we can. We hope you like it. Feel free to share it with your friends as well.

One sample: