I Choose Not To Be A Sloth.

[Art and Poetry. This blog contains a poem and image of a Sloth, painted in oils.]  As I live in South Africa, the sloth was never on my list of animals to paint.  It is usually lions, elephants, buck etc., however, I was looking around for a very furry animal to paint and came across the sloth and does this little guy have fur!  I am glad I chose the sloth as it is the most unique animal I have got to know about. I also penned a poem about the sloth which I hope you enjoy.  I do not think I will be seeing a sloth anytime soon unless I take a trip the jungles of South America. 

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I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A SLOTH©️

 

I choose not to be a sloth

Languishing on a branch all day.

I have no excuse for my laziness

I was created this way.

 

I am a symbol of altruism

Envied for my relaxed being,

But don’t be fooled by such talk

No one would want this gene.

 

My only saving grace

Is that I am as adorable as a teddy,

But did you know that my thick fur

Is host to moths, mites and algae!

 

It is simply not true

That I am carefree!

My sluggish digestive system

Saps most of my energy.

 

On my weekly trip to do a poo,

I need to climb down to my spot on the ground,

However, this could be the death of me

If there is a jaguar, snake or eagle around.

 

I am so slow, a minute it takes

To move a two-meter space,

And my ten-centimeter claws

Are an added frustration to my pace.

 

I’m not easily seen up in the trees

As my fur is suffused with fungi

So, as I am well camouflaged

You would have to look twice to spot me.

 

I laze away all day in cecropia trees,

Eating as many fruits and leaves as I please

Whilst basking in the rays of a mosaic sun.

I am a sloth, but I’m sure you no longer envy me.  💚

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SLOTHS DO NOT MAKE GOODS PETS, UNLESS YOU ARE PLANNING TO BUY A HUGE PLOT OF LAND IN A SOUTH AMERICAN JUNGLE AND HERE IS WHY: 

They need a specialized diet.

Warm and humid conditions.

They need to be suspended from high branches.

Their life span is much shorter in captivity than in their natural habitat.

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Copyright.  Caroline Street. 1) Art.  Hanging Sloth, oil on canvas.  2) Poetry. ‘ I Choose Not To Be A Sloth.’ 

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