Animal Planet

dry savannah
watchful eyes follow
the zebra crossing

savannah sun
cheetah spots swipe at
an antelope's leg

wildebeest
hooves echo the drumming
of heavy rain

buffalo carcass
vultures jockey
into position

jungle foliage -
tiger stripes mingle
with the tall grass

only thin air
between the condor
and its prey

elephants in a
mangrove swamp - trunks
and roots in water

a lioness falls upon
a gazelle - the laughter
of waiting hyenas

table music -
a fly tugs at a
spider's harp strings


This series of linked haiku was, and still is, inspired by the various television wildlife programs on Animal Planet, a division of Discovery Channel, but also by programs on the National Geographic channel. There were originally 12.