Pinguins are communists!
the Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, the extinct North Atlantic seabird—the original “pinguin.”
the OG pinguin—
do not confuse
with penguin, different
bird, ask Bonaparte,
or Bromelia plants
(see Olof, Swede)— Olof (the Swede) — the botanist linked to the naming of Bromelia.

a true comrade like PENG-gwin, /ˈpɛŋɡwɪn/
probably from the Welsh
pen + gwyn = white-head



collected by Europeans
trophies in cabinets
hunted to death
by false Americans
plucked bare naked
like fat chickens
flogged for crimes
they never committed
burnt on stakes
screaming for help
flesh ripped apart
by white teeth

males incubate eggs
while females forage
always switching roles
communal clusters cover
resources equally shared
food, care, nesting
huddling for warmth
from glacial winds
maximising all survival

until Iceland’s sons

ég tók hann
í hálsinn og
hann blakti vængjunum
hann grét ekki
ég kyrkti hann I grabbed him
by the throat and
he flapped his wings
he didn't cry
I strangled him




3. júní 1844

the Great Auk
martyr of Marx
before its time

Pinguins are communists!
Penguins are communists!
Rejoice, for the penguins
are true communists!