Day 4: _____________ and other strange animals

Just type "strange animals" into Google Images. Go on, I dare you.

The above image is just one of the "what the hecky decky is that?!" moments you will have while scrolling through the results (possibly more expletive-ridden, as in my case).

You may, however, be less inspired by things you might find on a trip to a very unusual zoo. Perhaps the first thing that this prompt called to mind for you was even Gerald Durrell's (rightly) famous (and hilarious) "My Family and Other Animals" (if you haven't read it and/or seen the TV series, you're in for a treat!). (We all love our families really, but let's face it - they're not always the easiest to look after!)

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Durrell deploys personification and anthropomorphism heavily in his depiction of his family as being as animalistic as the curiosities that he finds while on their travels. You may want to try similar techniques in your poem today.

You may also want to compare other things to animals - people often talk of depression as a "black dog", for example.

Suggested forms

If writing about entertaining zoo creatures or pets, then you may wish to keep your choice of form just as light-hearted - so a limerick, riddle or acrostic could work well here. Kennings - which rely on compound adjectives - are also fun.

If you want to write more seriously, reflectively, or in a detailed manner about a creature or feeling, as DH Lawrence does in his wonderful poem 'Snake', then free verse may be for you.

Word prompts

polychromatic
fright
striped
armoured
disturbed

And to finish, a quotation that might inspire you, from the actress and dancer Yvonne Craig:

Happy writing!

-- Bianca

Remember that our prompts are only suggestions - go wherever the muse takes you.
In the meantime, read other participants' poems, share the #octpowrimo hashtag on social media, and add your link to your own poem in the comments below.