Archibald Lenoue's Garden of Zoological Studies
Outside my back door there’s a zoo
That I built recently
I customized the cages and I planted six new trees.
It is my sanctuary
It is my pride and joy
It’s more than just a hobby
It is my most precious toy.
The first cage moving westward
From my brand new back porch swing
Holds two males and a baby to whom
Both men like to sing.
These guys might be great neighbors
If they were not in my zoo
Yet, as it is, I only stand and watch the things they do
The next cage holds a family with a Spanish-speaking lean
I hear their conversations but I can’t tell what they mean.
When their music makes me move my feet and dance a bar or two
I stop myself and move on for these folks are in my zoo.
Just past the single mothers
Next to my refreshment stand
I often hear the eloquence of one tall, colored man
The passion of his words cause me to hear him well some days
But then I catch myself,
“He’s in my zoo.” I walk away.
You’ll find me in my zoo in mornings, afternoons, and night
(But I close it down each Sunday without fail. That just seems right)
It is my sanctuary
It is my pride and joy
It’s more than just a hobby
It is my most precious toy.
My family worries for me “It’s the company you keep”
Some even say they wonder how I’m
Brave enough to sleep
They’re sure that they’d be frightened,
Nervous to the very core
With so many of those people just outside their door.
Yet, I am fascinated by these folks so unlike me
As long as they stay in their cage
We all will be happy
And just in case my zoo and my reality collide
I will be ready with a loaded shotgun at my side.
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