El Ojo del Lago

The National Bird

Ben Franklin, it might be recalled,

Entreated all his fellow men:

“Forget about the eagle bald,

Wild turkey is American.

“Bald eagles are bad characters,

But turkeys are respectable.

We shouldn’t be viewed as predators

And turkeys are delectable.

“Wild turkeys winging overhead

Are such a sight to see

Compared to one lone eagle, Jed,

Perched high in yonder tree.”

“We’re going with the eagle, Ben,

On watch and soaring overhead.

Your gobblers don’t inspire men;

Stern gaze is what we need instead.

“In short, we need an emblem

To symbolize our nation,

And turkeys don’t engender

Americanization.”

Yes, that’s the way it happened, friends,

And yet it seems ironic

That turkeys and Thanksgiving

Are more and more iconic.

Mark Sconce