effeminate orangutans sit
engorged to the state of grotesque
as passerby’s point sticky fingers
at rusty cages
gawking –
spark-less eyes long for wide expanses
looking broken and defeated on concrete slabs
cracked pads and chipped teeth
no longer fit for freedom –
matted fur, bug ridden
falls in clumps onto **** covered hallways
as drunk and illiterate keepers
snooze against a wall holding a shovel –
filth coated feathers and scarred scales
bring no joy to the caves
and even the butterflies are all cocooned
unless they were eaten by escaped scorpions –
the field trip takes on a different meaning as a volunteer
gone is the excitement to see strange animals
that is replaced with contempt and disgust
hidden beneath a smile
better the children find discontent in their own time –