Page 4 - The Gluckman Occasional Number Two

That searching had many patterns he knew;
So Zoomer resolved to give each its due:
The zigzag, the quadrant, the grid and line—
He tried them all but got little to chew.

Then nothing but aimless darting remained;
It failed: no more than two moths were obtained
For all his heroic hectic hustling,
And muscles throughout his body were strained.

Before too long being out on his own
Left Zoomer a shadow of skin and bone.
He hung exhausted during the day;
The other bats mostly left him alone.

But Flapper perceived his pal couldn’t cope,
And feared that Zoomer had given up hope;
He sidled up close and quietly asked,
“Is anything wrong with your gyroscope?”

The frail chiropteran swallowed his pride
And answered slowly, “I guess I can’t hide
My problem from you: yes, I’m unable
To hit moving targets—oh, how I’ve tried!”

As bats can very sensitively hear,
So may they lend a sympathetic ear;
What Flapper heard from Zoomer made him cry—
He knew what happened to bats who can’t steer.

And Flapper said, “I can’t teach you my skill
Because it’s an instinct, not what I will;
Alone and brave until the end you must
Continue fighting your battle uphill.”