When I Went to the Zoo

When I went to the zoo

we crunched along the beige slips of hay

and I thought they looked like my

kitty’s litter

The sun shone down on my head and my eyes

and I had to squint

I was saddened by the small, orange monkeys in the box

a diorama-like show

but I silently marveled at their beauty

and wondered if they knew they were

superficially encapsulated

in a “natural” habitat

We wondered too

if the kangaroos could jump out as we watched them sitting on gray rocks

There were no gates or tall ledges to obstruct their freedom

and yet

there they were

sitting

as friends

A mirror image of ourselves.

Who is to say which one of us were caged and by whom?

We continued on

and our feet softly caressed the gravel

as  the mock wild landscape

turned into the urban

concrete jungle

And soon I forgot about the hundreds of animals

that lay slightly dormant just a few feet away

We walked on

to freedom

unlocked the car

and drove away.