Spring’s Second Day at the Zoo
The real story
Is the robins.
They strut, and fight, and
Explore their urban world anew
In the softer air this second
Day. All the birds seem to know it,
That true frost is behind us –
That there is safety
In boldness.
The giraffe, always curious
About the humans who raised him
Stretches to greet me,
Another one passing by.
I like to think
He remembers when
I met him on my second day
Working at the zoo.
The siamangs huddle casually,
Still a bit sleepy and cold
But glad of the growing sunshine.
On my way back through
They are basking on a higher branch;
The sun has won them over, but
They are not yet hooting for joy.
That will come, they know;
The animals,
All of them
Adapted to a new life
Still possess the deep ways
Of season,
Of death, and therefore
Of truly living.