The Zoo
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Image Credit- peta.org
One morning I asked my children what they'd like to do
They all shouted at once, "Dad take us to the zoo"
We had an early lunch then headed for the freeway
The sun was high in the sky, t'was a beautiful day.
I found an empty parking space that was close to the zoo
And quickly made for the entrance and luckily no queue
We followed the route map and got to see them all
The kids loved the giraffes best because they were so tall.
Going home there was silence and my youngest started to cry
I pulled over into a layby and I asked her why
She said that the monkeys in cages were looking quite sad
And she asked me tearfully if they'd done something bad.
I said that they were good monkeys and they'd done nothing wrong
And had the best of veterinary care and good food all day long
I then drove to a drive through for some takeaway food
Hoping it would take her mind off it and brighten her mood.
Whilst waiting for our order, I thought about what she'd said
And the realisation of her words were whirring round in my head
Surely their captive existence was not meant to be
While we humans lived our lives without worry and free.
They should be in the wild, not caged for all to see
Nor a lonely existence in that tiny menagerie
We never went back, it wouldn't have been right
It took a five year old to point out to me their miserable plight.
Written 13th November 2020.
Copyright © Tom Cunningham | Year Posted 2020
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