Not every thought Rhinos have is in Technicolor. Some are a bit less defined or dynamic. Just how they come. No harm, no foul.
National Bad Poetry Day
We make what contribution We can to your festivities, however unusual some of them may seem to Us. Here follows a sample effort:
The average Inner Rhino Reader
Does not own a parakeet-r,
To this blog a hot stampeder,
Trembling, sweating and weak-kneeder,
Rejoicing in its pedigreed-r
Your Inner Rhino can’t be beat-r.
Chitwan Residentials
Here We are, the Greater One-horn Rhinos, or, Indian Rhinos, all the same thing. We are not fussy. Many of Us live in south-central Nepal, hence the title. It’s a sanctuary for wildlife, among whom We are happy to be numbered. Still.
Beside our sumptuous bulk, say 5000 pounds, give or take a thousand, We happen to have the most breathtaking folds and bumples all over Us. Some people think it makes us indestructible, but that is not so; We are permeable. The single horn is also definitive; you are unlikely to see a Javan Rhino, the only other one horned species today.
One horn, that’s Us. And huggable. We are an affectionate crowd.
We live where they make Monsoons, which are a Big Experience. We like them. Good and Wet.
A Timely Discussion
Rhinopinions
Rhinos acquire Opinions; We spend so much time musing over Life’s Little Ways that We form conclusions and insights. There is little quality control on our thinking, We admit. Many ideas are reflections of traditions or concepts We have overheard. Opinions can last a long time, however you measure it.
What is remarkable about Opinions is how little they matter when confronting anything big in our lives. Minor things can be influenced by attitude based on Opinion. But major crises occur in a different sphere. They do not require anything but sober acknowledgement, as part of a larger scheme, where our judgments are of no interest whatever.
We are constrained by our Opinions. With time they can form Us, rather than We forming them.
By the Beautiful Sea…
Especially for Us Rhinos that don’t live near the ocean, tales of the thrills pertaining to an Aquatic Life are delightful. We may not swim much, but the idea is appealing. We can be euphoric without even getting wet.
Makes us giggly, frankly.
Baked Goods
We have been thinking of old cronies and pals and family members. And We thought, what if each friend was like an ingredient in a cake, and We are the cake, enjoying the riches each friend had bestowed on Us. We are flavored by all those remarkable interactions, longterm or brief, each with its own distinct flavor.
We are born dynamic with Inner Rhinotude, but We are enhanced along the way by experience and good friendship.
Fitting in
True, it takes some Optimism (and some Patience) to see how things come together. Still, they do, no matter what We had planned.
When We get willing to go with what is, rather than how We imagined it would be, We come out with something pretty satisfying, all the same.
Puzzling, yes?
Ujung Kulon or bust
Here you see a Javan Rhino, moving hastily though the brush. This branch of the family is at an existential crossroads, and things do not look promising.
Closely related to the Indian One-horn Rhino branch, the remnants of our line live in the tropical jungles of Java. Our range used to be all over Southeast Asia, but no longer. We have interesting skin, pebbly but not as knobby as our Indian cousins. How did We get to Java?, you might ask. In times past, the ocean level was lower, so We could stroll. Rhinos are accomplished strollers. (see 4/11/15)
Many female Javan Rhinos don’t grow a horn at all. Nature might give a convincing explanation of why that is, but not We.
For obvious reasons, Javan Rhinos are extremely leery of contact with the public.
Down Sumatra Way
It has come to our attention that Your Inner Rhino has not been very clear about what parts of the greater Rhino Family are presently represented on the planet. Seems obvious as a topic, but it does not hold our attention to any great extent; We are all Rhinos, We have RhinoHeart, and that’s what counts.
That Said, here you go! Here We have a Sumatran Rhino, the hairiest of the Gang. We live in Southeast Asia, mostly solitary and living in dense jungle. We can weigh a ton, but are the smallest Rhino species. We are surprisingly agile, and are known for a sharp sense of humor. Two horns, but modest.
We are the most ancient lineage of the RFamily living today. We are few in numbers, due to hunting and habitat pressures.
The reason this all seems a bit beside the point is that each Rhino, Sumatran or not, is an individual critter, doing our best to thrive. Seems more important than a label, at least to Us.
Your Inner Rhino 