I walk along the zoo
to find that all the animals are dead –
they are stuffed, black-button-eyed
puppets wearing zebra furs and elephant skins.
My daughter asks me why
they don’t move, and I tell her that dead things
will always be dead.
Why are they dead, then? she asks
in a broken-hearted confusion, and I try so hard to tell her
that there aren’t any live ones anymore.
She asks me why, then, we still had their furs;
and I whisper, So we can play pretend.
Her eyes look so wondrously
these fantastic faux-creatures that had once traipsed
the same earth as she, and oh, her irises light
as she asks me why we didn’t save these wonderful things
for her to see.Some things, I try to say, don’t matter much
to people. We like the things we make ourselves.
She asks me if one day
there will be a zoo with people, and if
one day we’ll die too, and if they’ll pin
our skins to the models of Styrofoam still-lifes,
and I just pull her hand and avoid the button-eyes
of living things that used to be as she runs her mouth
and I try not to see the show-and-tell skins in their cages.
I have nothing else to say except that I love this.
Flawless! There's something in this poem that sets it apart from the rest. You've nailed it completely. Yes, I'm awestruck.
* I want this poem to be featured *
This is really an intriguing poem.
"We like the things we make ourselves," is a very powerful statement. Even in that age where animals no longer exist as living creatures, mankind finds a way to make them into their own creature. However, why are the animals still in cages if they are all gone? There is no purpose to offer a wall of protection from predator to prey.
The thought process of the girl is an interesting application to have for her own kind. She has not been processed to believe animals differ from humans (since, in essence, we don't) given they did not exist for others to teach that they are "lessor" beings.
Thanks.
And i guess (in my mind, at least), I see these "cages" as a part of the delusion that things haven't changed, though I also imagine them more like velvet ropes and glass confines like a museum as opposed to a real "zoo," so I'll consider changing that.
In any case, the review is really appreciated!
Hey there!
This is a nice poem, I like it a lot due to the fact of how you may see the zoo in the future as well as what might happen if we continue to kill off animals. I like to see how the details but I do have a few things that I would like to talk about with you.
"Why are they dead, then? she asks"
In this sentence, why do you have the comma? I don't see any reason to keep it, but I don't see any thing wrong with it. It just was a little awkward when I read it. That might just be me, who knows.
Really, that was the only thing that actually bothered me. Anything else is amazing and great! I can't wait till you write more, it's very pretty and I really like it a lot. Thank you for your time,
~Whitewolfpuppy :3
Thank you much!