Poem: Humans are unnatural

Why do humans think it’s within their rights

to imprison a tiger, leopard, lion, bear, monkey

domesticate them from their natural habitat

brand them with collars,

rope them with leashes.

Money is a trap for sell outs to prove their worth

in things, glittering rare objects, gleaming rings.

Why are the owners surprised

when their pet boa constrictor

does what’s natural and eats them alive

in slow motion gulping grips seemingly smiling.

Ask Siegfried and Roy

why after so many jumps through a flaming hoop

and too many somersault hits with a leather whip

one of the flamboyant Vegas slavers, aka entertainers

got devoured by their captured money making albino tiger.

Death snapped them finally back to reality.

Crocodile hunters and snake charmers

fall prey to karma, to their own disastrous Russian roulette

Why did they expect their captives to stay

as voluntary prisoners unable to run

deprived of food as punishment

fed violence as incentive.

Even the pampered ones are still slaves.

Every locked cage is a life sentence as property.

What freedom do they have

to eat, sleep, run, breed when they want,

doing what they want is freedom.

Anything less is slavery.

Undomesticated ones are eaten,

made into coats, boots, boats, purses, hats

or mummified as trophies

stuffed heads with glass eyes mounted on walls

but nature doesn’t market in greed.

Only humans have the immoral need

to kill and control what they don’t understand.