Chapter 03: A young Private ponders his fate during a transfer.
The Final Stop
A wooden crate obtains the fate
Of one so easily.
A penguin sits and wonders where
His final stop might be.
/-/-/
Quite content to stay where he was
And play amongst the snow.
Captured, labelled, shipped away;
The smallest one to go.
/-/-/
Perhaps he's not the only one
To travel all alone?
Perhaps he will be joined by friends
And taken to a home?
/-/-/
Perhaps the cold Antarctica,
Where historic roots reside?
Perhaps the farthest pole up North,
Where man and elf collide?
/-/-/
Perhaps a far-off wondrous place
Where cuteness reigns supreme?
Or perhaps the zoo of London,
With tea and scones and Queen?
/-/-/
Perhaps the farthest reaches of
The galaxy called Space,
Where Lunacorns and Mooncats live;
A quiet, peaceful place.
/-/-/
Perhaps he'll not be homed at all,
Abandoned and discarded.
Or taken to the white-walled place
With exits fully guarded.
/-/-/
He starts suddenly, shakes his head;
He tries to clear his mind.
Tries not to focus on what is lost,
And all that's left behind.
/-/-/
There's time to dwell on kinder thoughts,
As ship cuts through the sea;
Time to ponder and imagine where
His final stop might be.
/-/-/
Later …
This is not what he imagined;
A zoo just like before.
A habitat, with swimming pool;
Nothing less, nothing more.
/-/-/
However, there is an addition
That stands out from the rest.
Perhaps, with fellow penguins,
This move was for the best.
/-/-/
He studies his fellow housemates
Standing in a line, all three,
Feels quite content that this is where
His final stop will be.
End
A/N: This is going on the notion that Private has been taken from another zoo before he is transferred to New York.
A/N II: Wow, it's been eight years since I submitted to this fandom. Time really is a … well, timeless thing. I recently binged the TV series whilst on holiday and remembered unfinished drabbles kept on my laptop. Amongst the electronic pile was this little snippet, conveniently finished! Figured I might as well post it. :-)