eMammal Animals Inspire "Poems for Your Pocket"

In honor of "Poem in Your Pocket Day," students of Lena Deskins' 5th grade class at Sandy Ridge Elementary School took to their pens using eMammal camera trap photos as their muse. Students were inspired by coyotes, deer, squirrels, and turkeys. They are participating in an experiment to see how animals react to novel objects (in this case, a plastic lawn flamingo!). Not only did they get fantastic animal shots, but they also observed a coyote biting the flamingo, a man trying to take the flamingo, and a boy messing with the camera. Below are their poems and some of the camera trap photos that inspired them!


Selfie Time

Pose for the camera

Turkey Time

Nosy Fox

Deer looking for food

But just one more selfie

The call of the wild


Fake Thanksgiving 

A lone coyote bites into his midnight snack

A coyote taking selfies

Time for a midnight snack

Enjoy...your fake meal

Yummy flamingo

Coyotes like tasty flamingos

Tastes like chicken

Whoops!  It's plastic- he runs


Property Thief

 School Property roaming

Idiots thinking they¹re sly

You can¹t get the camera!  Ha!

Pokemon thief

People looking suspicious

Call the cops!


Birdy Love

Home is where the heart is

Turkey meets Flamingo Gloria

Goose meets flamingo too?

Jump for joy

Birdy Love!


   Work It Out Nighttime

Deer hogs camera

Selfish Deer!

Coyotes at camera

Prowl the Night 


Bad Skully

Roaming around school grounds

Nuzzles flamingo

Tries to eat Flamingo Gloria

Fox eating exotic food

Nice try Skully but

Gloria wins!

Animal Diaries

Fox trying to eat flamingo

Fox fooled by something plastic


Where did my cousin go?

You¹re not supposed to take the animals

People thieving

Stop in the name of the law!

Coyotes in the moonlight

Shiny coyote fur

So much food

Deer love scratching themselves

Ha, ha!  We caught you scratching your body!


When We¹re Not Looking

Don¹t jump to conclusions

You¹re not as sneaky as you think

Think twice before you steal

People love those camera traps

Deer like to hog the camera

Don¹t eat everything you see

Possums are awesome

Don't eat plastic!

Never steal

Many foxes and deer

Some wild turkeys

Don¹t jump to conclusions!


Don¹t jump to conclusions

Deer walking around at night

Deer at night not at fright

The deer is lying down

Like nothing is around

Coyotes wandering here at night

As the wind blows

The flamingo must go

Guy took our flamingo

Don¹t jump to conclusions!


Authors: Makiah Noel, Makeda Moore, Ada Taylor, Adelina Cornada Barbee, Mac Garris, Miranda Childers, Sydney Speller, Wendy House, Miacarol Agustin, Faye Allen, Lily Allen, Elias Ammon, Javier Childers, John Cross, Elizabeth Dupree, Timira Hoggard, Olivia Hurley, Arleth Martinez Reyes, Yadira Martinez Reyes, Maya Martinez Wayman, Sophia Overholt, and Danayla Williams.