A Dazzle of Zebras
by Neil Leadbeater

When we shook hands with Collective Nouns
this was the one we liked the best
better even than a skulk of foxes
or a bevy of quail
because it made us think of West African antelopes,
zebra finches, referees with striped shirts
in American football and the belisha beacon
at the pedestrian crossing
whose amber flash, after dark,
caught us in its fall.
So it was that Miss Holland sent us out
into the world that day
to be amazed, awed, bedazzled
at the wonder of all we saw.



 

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