The opossums, also known by their scientific name Didelphimorphia /daɪˌdɛlfᵻˈmɔːrfiə/), make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, including 103 or more species in 19 genera. Of South American ancestry, they entered North America following the connection of the two continents. Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet, and reproductive habits make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.
The word "opossum" is borrowed from the Virginia Algonquian (Powhatan) language, and was first recorded between 1607 and 1611 by the Jamestown colonists John Smith (as "opassom") and William Strachey (as "aposoum"). The word ultimately derives from the Proto-Algonquian word *wa˙p- aʔθemw, meaning "white dog" or "white beast/animal".
They are also commonly called possums, particularly in the Southern United States and Midwest. Following the discovery of Australia, the term "possum" was borrowed to describe distantly related Australian marsupials of the suborder Phalangeriformes.
Opossum or Opossom may refer to:
Men with both roots and wings
they tie us down and ask us to leave
they are teachings unheard, they are bodies on smoke
Men with both roots and wings
at a singular voice we moan
our teachings mislead, our teachings like smoke
we sleep between the storm that was
and the storm which has to come
We've learnt to learn everywhere
and the very own nature has taught us to wait
difference does sound like sin, equality reliefs
and that fame rhymes with hate yet everything is fair
on the intervals of your death
misguided demons or forthcoming heroes
each one with an important name
nothing else than an important name.
Men with both roots and wings
at a certain time we are one
our little tricks, our innocence stubborn
Men with just little wings, men with just little minds
Men with just little eyes, men with just little deeds
sleeping between the storm that was
and the wind which fails to come (and finally)