Flamingo Flamboyance—A Poem and More

by Catherine Giordano

Pink flamingos are fabulous. I collect flamingo-themed items just because they make me feel so happy.

A group of flamingos are called a “flamboyance” Isn’t that marvelous? A group of cows is a “herd, a group of birds is a “flock, but a group of flamingos is a “flamboyance.” 

An item from my collection, a flamingo-themed fabric grocery bag from Publix (a supermarket chain), inspired me to write a poem about why I love flamingos.

I’ll start with the poem and then I’ll give some suggestions for flamingo-themed items that you could use to start a collection or that you might want to add to a collection. I’ve put the items on my wish list.

Flamingo Flamboyance--A Poem

Today I bought a fabric shopping bag
I bought it at Publix
It cost a dollar
I bought it because I thought it was beautiful
I will not use it for groceries
It is too beautiful for groceries

Its intense yellow color first caught my eye
The color of sunshine
The color of butter creamed with sugar
The color of a field of buttercups

The bottom of the bag is a cerulean blue
The color of the Caribbean sea
The color of a summer sky
The color of Paul Newman’s eyes

Lime green alligators skip along the bottom
On their stubby green legs
Grinning toothy alligator grins
Little yellow birds perched jauntily on their backs

Palm trees with saw-toothed fronds
Rise from the blue water
Green fronds edged with blue
Swaying against a butter yellow sky

Most beautiful of all
Are the pink flamingos
On a stately march across the bag
Like a parade of princesses

They lift one leg daintily
Like the outstretched pinky
Of a prim society matron
As she lifts a cup of tea to her lips

The bag is beautiful to me
It's a tableau of peace
A representation of harmony
A fantasy of escape

I sat in my New York apartment
Looking out at the cold grey streets
No money for a vacation
I could only lust for sun and release

One day, passing a store window,
I saw a shirt covered with pink flamingos
I bought this shirt
And wore it that winter
And ever since
Flamingos ensconce my yearnings

                     ******

Do you want to know more about real flamingos?  Flamingos are as interesting as they are beautiful. Read about them here: Seven Reasons Why Pink Fkamingos are Absolutely Fabulous

If you want to know more about the lives of flamingos in their natural habitats, the 2-disc  DVD ser, Disneynature: The Crimson Wing - Mystery of Flamingos, is an excellent resource. 

CLICK HERE

And now for some flamingo-themed items you might like. Click below each picture for details of the item including the price.

Get the original pink flamingo lawn ornaments and the book that gives the history behind the bird named by his creator phoenicopteris ruber plasticus; a new avian species, now known to all as "Pink Plastic Flamingo."

   

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE



 

I’ve collected some other items you might like a shower curtain (matching towels, bedspread, throw pillows, etc. are also available), an insulated tumbler, a cup which turns upside down to become a knick knack, a beach towel, and a figurine of flamingos.



CLICK HERE



CLICK HERE

  



CLICK HERE



CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE