I am an animal on display

in an old fashioned zoo – trapped

& violent,

violent,

violent,

going slowly insane.

I entertain the guests.

I try to please them. This

does not come naturally. I am meant

to be a wild being, not this.

I don a sweater, purple pants. I reach

for this & that. I rattle

the bars but the bars don’t budge,

they tell me the bars won’t budge,

so I decide to play dead.