Children’s Rhyme: Unlikely Friends

In the scorching desert heat
Where very few can survive
Live two unlikely friends
Who help each other stay alive

While one is rooted
to the ground
The other is often
skyward bound

I speak of the Gobi woodpecker
And the hearty desert cactus
The relationship they share
Is what is known as symbiosis

Insects and parasites
Are a danger to the cactuses health
But without any weapons
It has no way to defend itself

The woodpecker needs to eat
And these pests are quite a treat
So by helping protect the cactus
A friendly circle is complete

The two have each other
In an unforgiving wasteland
Where many others perish
This friendship takes a stand