You stare at me through the cage walls,
Your eyes full of wonder
And heart filled with love.
Your hands hit the glass that separates me from you,
Or you from me.
And you stare
Like I’m some kind of zoo animal.
You’ve dreamed all your life, since you were three
To see me in my natural habitat,
But since my old home is all gone,
Destroyed.
Ruined.
Burned.
Your dreams have changed.
You paid ten dollars,
But what is one Alexander Hamilton
Compared to the experience
To come see me in action,
Licking my paws and ears
As I sit here, bored
In a cage that resembles nothing but a fake home made of plastic and
Fake rocks.
There is a show at noon.
I’ll have to go to a separate cage, one with a view from above.
And you and a hundred others
Will watch in amazement while I chase raw meat that’s dragged around a pole.
You laughed and say it’s funny, awesome, how fast I am.
You should have seen me when I was home.
I was better.
I chased real food.
It wouldn't be so bad
Except for the fact that your world seems to romanticize the idea
That I would want to be stared at
To have you stare at me through a glass wall
While I sit there,
In my cage
Bored.
Out of my natural mind.
But, it's all for your entertainment, right?
I mean, all you paid was a single Alexander Hamilton.
And now,
You stand there after I’m back in my original cage.
You stare
On the other side of that glass wall,
The one that protects you from me,
Or me from you.
And you stare
Like I’m some kind of zoo animal.