Delectable mouse
in defiance, stands to face
sqeamish ossifrage
The ossifrage, more commonly known as the bearded vulture, prefers to feed on dead animals, feeding predominantly on the bone marrow as opposed to the meat. It will on occasion kill living animals, with its main prey being tortoises which it drops onto rocks to break them open.
This haiku celebrates a defiant mouse but was inspired by a secondary meaning. In my study of cryptography, I recently de-crypted a challenge with the solution: ‘the magic words are squeamish ossifrage’ which, as it turns out, is a phrase frequently incorporated into the solution of cryptographic puzzles since 1977.
Further reading: The Magic Words Are Squeamish Ossifrage
John Norwood is a Mechanical Engineer working with Carbon, Inc. to revolutionize how things are made. His interests include old houses, yoga, baking, cryptography, and bluegrass music. You can follow him on Twitter under the handle @pryoga
Enjoyed this sciku? Check out some of John’s other work: Universal truth, The answer is none, God may be defined, With enough data, and Rivers cut corners.