The Zoo

A poem about animals in a zoo.

Photo by Paula Borowska on Unsplash

Animals are part of our nature

Watching them is fun

As they go about their life

Living and being rife.

Gorillas

Sometimes

A dangerous pack

They love their families

As they are

Caged, protective, vigilant.

Lions hunt for food

Living in a zoo

Slows them down

Weakness

And laziness intrudes

Not living as they need

A disastrous deed

To pursue, trap, fight.

Locked in a cage

We cannot

Contemplate

Their feelings of rage

Sitting quietly

As we stare

Watch, point, and study

Their glare.

Staring back at us

Hating, angry, and resentful

They want

Their freedom

To be

A wilderness of space

But alas

Enraged, unhappy

And in contempt

Hunted and used

Abused, ravished, rooted

A terrible fate.

Locked up

For safety

Some are captured

Some are freed

But most think

This is the way it must be

Because

They cannot

Live amongst us

For danger

To humans

Is applied.

So, you see

It is the right way

It is best

They are locked away

And not out

In the wilderness

For someone

To hunt

Poison, slaughter, slay

Or crucify

Their prey.

So, next time

You visit the zoo

Watch a gorilla

Or a lion

See how they

Live, play, eat

And sleep

But remember

They are

Important, significant, vital

Imperative, crucial

And necessary

And meaningful

In every way.

©️ Denise Larkin 2020. All Rights Reserved.