"Ok, ok, are we all here?
Welcome to our meeting.
I guess we can get started
Now we finished with that greeting."
Elephant Seal cleared his throat,
Addressing the Town Hall.
Their community was very close,
Although it was quite small.
Many of the inhabitants
Learned together they must stick
In order to build happy lives
In the cold and vast Arctic.
They opened up by counting heads
And seeing who was there.
Harp Seal, Walrus, Arctic Fox,
Reindeer and Polar Bear.
Elephant Seal began to speak,
But quickly was disrupted.
The Hare had raised her little paw,
And gently interrupted.
"Excuse me, Sir, I am sorry
For cutting in this way.
But I note Puffin's not here-
Did you see him today?"
Elephant Seal looked around,
And whisperings were heard.
Each was asking their neighbor,
"Have you seen the Bird?"
"We should go check up on him,
He had planned to attend.
We must know why he is not here
And look after our friend."
Out of the Hall they filed out,
And so the search begun.
They were hopeful they'd soon find
Dear, old Mr. Puffin.
They first went to the igloo
That Puffin did call home.
They searched around the property
and underneath the dome.
They searched the bay he swum.
They checked his favorite local hill
He'd slide down on his tum.
Puffin was nowhere to be found.
They then widened their search,
Confident they'd find the Bird
Happy on some perch.
As they walked across the snow,
Over the cold expanse,
Hare's large ears had picked up
The Puffin quite by chance.
The sound came from the other side
Of an icy hill.
The small group made their way over,
And saw Puffin sitting still.
His back to them, he shook his head
And looked up to the sky,
As if he was questioning
Where he was and why.
The group called out and said, "Hello!"
And Puffin, as they neared,
Said, "Hello" but didn't turn,
Which they thought was weird.
They reached the Bird and then realized
To stay put, he had not chosen.
He stopped to rest out by the pond
And then his feet had frozen!
Puffin said he picked this place
To enjoy the views.
But when he tried to get up
He was wearing two ice shoes!
It was good the group had found him,
But the gang was in dispute
Of the best way to free Puffin
From his icy boots.
The Reindeer had a great idea!
His antlers were a device
That could be helpful to the team
In breaking through the ice!
That's what they did to get him loose.
Puffin was so relieved
And thankful to his group of friends
For helping set him free.
"Sorry the Town Hall's delayed
And I had missed the meet.
I guess you'd say I didn't come
Because I got cold feet!"
