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This Poem was Submitted By: James C. Horak On Date: 2006-12-19 13:56:27 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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Oh, But He Ticked Me Off!

Steve Irwin, tempting fate, hanging snakes in front of his face... Like Death's rattle, baby-bouncing blithe. And that's another thing, a saltwater croc dubiously fed by a hand whilst the other held infant, so stead. But I wouldn't do that, neither should you, tacitly wouldn't, couldn't dream of it to do. He has no right I had thought, to pass up my aims, making my bravery look like Nintendo games. Now he is gone, we all quietly once predicted though by quite the unseen we were contradicted. His wonderful love all things living had held, nothing of his far too early death could tell When he lived to dangle a life in front of such menace Death would come at the end by such capricious sentence. Far my part I regret having not wished him much better and wished I had not sent him such a pissed-off letter.

Additional Notes:
Well, sadly I didn't realize a lot about this remarkable man until after his tragic death. Although I didn't actually write him that letter, I thought of it...enough to feel strangely guilty once I came to realize more about him. I'm not sure if this represents an epitaph of respect or some form of alleviating a personal fault of my own. But I'm certain he won't mind I didn't polish it any better, but offered it as candidly as he did so often his life. JCH

This Poem was Critiqued By: Dellena Rovito On Date: 2006-12-28 20:35:20
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
James, It's like the lost 3 climbers on Mt. Hood..gone. I wonder as you if being responsible fathers why would they take such risk? Their children will have no dad most all of their lives. Do daredevils think of the affect on their families? Yes Steve Irwin did a lot for educating people of our endangered wildlife. I applaud that. Whole heartedly. Dangling his child....accidents happen why risk it? For what possable reason would he do that? New? Publicity? I just wonder if the price he paid was equal to the loss of an early death. Maybe dare devils should have no children? Who knows/not I. Dellena

This Poem was Critiqued By: marilyn terwilleger On Date: 2006-12-26 10:26:43
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hi JCH....I know exactly how you felt when you saw him put his child in harms way. I wondered how anyone could do such a thing to their own or any other for that matter. I didn't realize the impact he had on the world until he was gone. When we wake in the morning we never know if we will live to experience another dawn. This is a good poem...written with such flair. I am now in Granite Shoals until Friday...where in Texas do you live? Hope you had a wonderful holiday. Cheers.....Marilyn

This Poem was Critiqued By: Mark Andrew Hislop On Date: 2006-12-25 08:26:37
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
JCH Funny, I remember that croc incident and the furour it raised in Aus. I was one of the few at the time who said "Hey, this guy is a professional, raised around these creatures. Do you REALLY think he'd risk the life of his own child?" Meanwhile, the rest of Australia got off on its righteous indignation. The thing that struck me about his death was that it was around creatures - and in an environment - with which he was NOT familiar. Shame. He is sorely missed. And it has amazed me throughout the time since his death how much his passing struck a nerve in the US. Aussies aren't known for their polish. But Steve would been happy to read this, polished or not. MAH

This Poem was Critiqued By: Ellen K Lewis On Date: 2006-12-20 11:36:10
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Ah, great venting, if nothing else. I love your title! It caught me off guard, and so I skipped down the list to read this. Those titles mean that much to me! Anyhow, I have felt similarily toward the man myself. I have a friend who never missed a show. It made me sooo mad...that foolish behavior just to ??what??..But, he was for real, and those critters weren't staged or drugged. So how can I say I'm sorry now? I like the idea that you have done it. **He has no right I had thought, to pass up my aims, making my bravery look like Nintendo games. *** ha ha ha...thanks for that laugh! **Now he is gone, we all quietly once predicted though by quite the unseen we were contradicted** great rhyme **His wonderful love all things living had held,** ok, this line is confusingWhen he lived to dangle a life **in front of such menace Death would come at the end by such capricious sentence **more good rhymes....original too **Far my part I regret having not wished him much better and wished I had not sent him such a pissed-off letter....ha ha, I love it! I'm glad you never sent it, but this little story needed that ending. It's a really great ending. A great poem. Thanks for sharing. Smiles across the miles, Ellen

This Poem was Critiqued By: Claire H. Currier On Date: 2006-12-20 06:26:18
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hate to admit I never heard of the man so I went searching and found many articles which proved to be quite interesting........I do feel though that if he is able to read this from above then he will appreciate your presentation as well done. The title is strong and powerful making the reader curious as to why this person did what he did to tick you off........the word flow brings forth many images some of which I would not care to see in real life nor participate in either............I hate snakes and anything with a bigger mouth then mine frightens me as well.......hehehe........anyway, thanks for posting, sorry about the horrid critique but I did want you to know I stopped by, have read this more then once, went in search of some history on the man and find you did a great job in your presentation. Merry Christmas, God Bless, Claire

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