the alphabet I learned
to write in school was spartan
pressed between parallel lines
eschewing swirls curls whirls
but now I ask always all ways
what lies beyond the alphabet?

beyond the creatures an ark might hold:

aardvarks baboons camels
donkeys emus frogs
gnats horses ibexes
jaguars koalas llamas
moose newts octopi
porcupines quail rhinos
snakes turtles unicorns
vultures whales
xylophages yaks zebras

beyond ludic lyrical words that begin with E:

etymology eschatology
ethnology ethnography
etiology epistemology

beyond chemical elements, musical echoes:

aluminum beryllium chromium
dysprosium erbium fermium
gallium helium iridium
krypton lanthanum magnesium
nobelium oxygen platinum
radium sodium titanium
uranium vanadium wolfram
xenon yttrium zirconium

beyond flowers, a wild earth bouquet:

azaleas buttercups crocuses
daisies epicalyxes fuchsia
geraniums hollyhocks irises
jute kohlrabi lupin
marigolds nuts orchids
pansies quandong roses
shamrock tulips umbels
violets waterlillies xerophytes
yarrows zygophytes

beyond theologians that begin with B:

Barth Berdyaev Bultmann
Bonhoeffer Bloch Buber Brunner

beyond ribbons of colour from heaven to earth:

almond blue chalk
dark egg flame
green honey indigo
jade kiwi lime
maple night orange
purple russet sandy
turquoise ultramarine violet
white xanthine yellow zinc

beyond even, of course, all of these:

jelly beans and lima beans
wrinkles and periwinkles
tractors and chiropractors
orthotics and orthodontics
brontosauruses and thesauruses
butter cups and cups of butter
dandelions and sea lions
butterflies and French fries
pickles and tickles
sharks and larks
lips and slips
bumble bees and humble d's