Roberta Writes: d’verse prosery: Ada Limón #prose #ostriches

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Merril asked poets to write a piece of prosery, no longer than 144 words, using a specified phrase from the poem “The Magnificent Frigatebird” by Ada Limón. I used the phrase as a heading for my piece. I wrote an initial piece and then I edited it down to achieve the 144-word requirement. I have included both pieces as the longer pieces includes a lot more details about one of my favourite birds, the ostrich. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/05/12/prosery-ada-limon/

“I have no skills for flight or wings
to skim the waves effortlessly, like the wind itself.”

This is the 144-word piece:

“Mama, why can’t we fly. We’re birds, aren’t we? All the other birds can fly.”

“Well, Little One, we are ostriches. We don’t need to fly. We have evolved to become flightless.”

“But Mama, I want to fly. I want to be the same as my friends. I don’t like being different.”

“You should be proud to be part of a species of bird that has adapted so well to its desert home. It’s more useful for us to have speed and endurance. We can sprint at over 70 kilometres an hour.

“And we do use our wings, we just don’t use them to fly.”

“I remember how you sheltered me and my siblings from the rain and the sun with your wings, Mama. Thank you for explaining. I feel much better now and I’m going to tell my friends how special I am.”

This is the longer and more detailed piece:

“Mama, why can’t we fly. We’re birds, aren’t we? All the other birds can fly, even my friend the kori bustard.”

“Well, Little One, we are ostriches. We no longer fly because we don’t need to. In the distant past we did fly but over time we have evolved to become flightless.”

“But Mama, I want to fly. I want to be the same as all my bird friends. They say I’m not a proper bird because I can’t fly and my wings are useless. It makes me sad.”

“Ostriches are proper birds, my son. You should be proud to be part of a species of bird that has adapted so well to its desert home. We don’t use our wings for flight because it was more advantageous for us to develop speed and endurance on the ground. You must remember that ostriches breed on the ground and we also take advantage of abundant ground-level food sources. Our main predators are hyenas and lions, so we need to be able to outrun them. And we can outrun them. We are the fastest runners of any bird or other two-legged creature in the world. Did you know that? We can sprint at over 70 kilometres an hour.

“And we do use our wings. We don’t use them to fly, that is true, but we use our wings for many useful purposes. Our wings reach a span of approximately 2 metres and we use them in mating displays, to protect our chicks, and to cover the skin of our upper legs and flanks to conserve heat when it’s cold. We also use our wings as rudders to help us change direction while running.”

Little One cuddles up to Mama. “I remember how you sheltered me and my siblings from the rain and the sun with your wings, Mama. You are right, your wings were very important to protect us. Thank you, Mama, for explaining. I feel much better now and I’m going to tell my friends how special I am.”

Picture caption: Mama ostrich with brown and white feathers
Picture caption: Papa ostrich with black and white feathers
Picture caption: Mana and Papa ostrich together
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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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88 thoughts on “Roberta Writes: d’verse prosery: Ada Limón #prose #ostriches”

  7. I was caught in a similar quandary this week with the piece I posted today and the piece I am posting Friday. I enjoy the challenge of a prompt, but sometimes a much longer story screams to be heard. This was so lovely, and the photos as always added so much to your presentation.

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      1. They are interesting. Back in the 80s/90s, ostrich farming was popular out here, so I got to see ostriches running around on some of the farms.

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  16. Your prose is wonderful, Robbie, and the pictures are beautiful. The shorter piece makes for a faster read, and the full-length piece describes the conversation better. That ostriches can run at 70 kilometers per hour is amazing!

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  18. Wonderful, Robbie!

    Thank you for this beautiful story that explains much I did not know.

    You have become an entertaining, favoured teacher.

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  25. I saw ostriches on a documentary and hadn’t realised just how useful their wings are and what hot dangerous positions ostriches and their babies can be in out in the open. I wonder how often they do get caught?

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  33. I agree that the distilled version contains all the necessaries, Robbie – a wonderful little parable of parental teaching…

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