Zoomare
We are fascinated with animals. And we want to be around them. But we want it to be convenient and safe. So we gather them from their homes, transport them all over the world, and put them in cages in zoos, all for our benefit. We put them in unnatural habitats and then we wonder why they act in unnatural ways. It becomes a living nightmare for them....
an African parrot
perched in a corner
keeps plucking out
his feathers
and shivering
the red gash
on the ankle
of the elephant
where the chain
used to be
a peacock
keeps screaming
over and
over and
over
a white tiger
lies on her side
oblivious to the sun
her cubs in a zoo
in another city
for almost a day
no one notices
the spider monkey
dead in a corner
covered in ants
a gray wolf
carries a stick
back and forth
along a cement wall
all night long
a polar bear
lays motionless
as teenage boys
throw Oreos and french fries
and sometimes rocks
an old zebra
stands by the fence
and lets anybody
touch him anywhere
anytime they want
an eagle
that used to try
to touch the sun
perched in a tree
under chickenwire
a penguin
hides in the back
and refuses to
come out and
swim in circles