A Skyline of Giraffes
a musing on collective nouns in iambic tetrameter
a herd of long-necked vertebrates
extend skyward, perchance to graze
on lofty branches' verdant treats —
a feat they implement with ease
zoologists have long proposed
they’re ungulates with even toes
who incessantly ruminate —
chew that which they regurgitate
you’ve heard, of course, of flocks of sheep,
or schools of fish down in the deep,
a float of lazy crocodiles,
a parliament of wise old owls,
zeal of zebras, crash of rhinos,
flamboyance of pink flamingos —
but how to label (just for laughs)
a congregation of giraffes?
a friend tells me they’re called a tow’r
(and I’m no turn-of-phrase denier)
yet something here is not quite right —
while certainly they are a sight
akin to a tall edifice
and yet … more multitudinous …
in order this gap to address —
behold! a skyline of giraffes!
thanks to Gus for the seed of this idea
for more silly animal linguistics …
