Penguin and Poem

In the 1980s I spent a month in Scotland taking education classes; the University of Wisconsin rents part of a castle in Dalkeith. The place was fabulous, and only a short bus ride from Edinburgh. One of the places I enjoyed visiting when we weren't in class was the Edinburgh Zoo, where the penguins have been parading for years, long before March of the Penguins made the birds trendy. I photographed this King Penguin, and have waited years to do something with the picture. My 5x7" monoprint uses Createx paints on an acrylic plate, and is printed on Arches paper. I darkened the black parts a bit with watercolor pencils.

My Penguin
--Kenn Nesbitt

My penguin looks quite dashing
in his top hat, coat and tails,
with a cummerbund from Macy's
and a tie from Bloomingdales.

My penguin likes to party
in his dapper black tuxedo,
but whenever he goes swimming
he wears nothing but his Speedo.