He looked around the forest,
Taking in the fresh summer air.
The trees peered down on him,
He walked without a care.
He adored the songs,
sung by shimmering leaves.
But what he witnessed next,
he could not believe.
A distant figure,
too large to be human.
He crept closer,
in great confusion.
A glimpse was caught,
of his worst nightmare.
What was upon him,
a great grizzly bear.
A menace of the wilderness,
was in his presence.
It’s tree trunk limbs and scuffed up paws
were oddly pleasant.
The observer backed up slowly,
making no noise.
Eager to get home,
and tell all the boys.
My hungry cat Mowgli
Who proceeds so slowly
On the crunchy dead leaves
Hoping for a slight breeze
So he can spring and pounce
With that amusing bounce
On his prized catch
He’s yet to match
Every season, I would try to sing, but
Out of tune,
Out of rhythm,
Out of breath.
I never wanted to learn-
What’s the use?
Out of pitch,
Out of harmony,
Out of tempo.
Day by day,
I would play out onto the open field, where my next meal lay
Innocent like a pig,
Ravaged by a group of humans.
Month by month,
The leaves would fall,
Just like the feathers of my youth.
Year by year,
While the others were learning:
Articulation,
Dynamics,
Melody,
I wouldn’t care.
Spring,
Summer,
Fall,
Winter.
Five years have passed,
All my friends have families-
Around spring,
I see them build their homes,
For their many children-
Why don’t I have a mate?
The wind lifts and swirls,
waking up the slumbering world.
Flowers bathe in the mellow sun,
brushing their blushed faces.
Behind the cold metal bars,
I perch
with despair.
My legs are fettered
and my wings are wounded
by the bullet of power,
caging my freedom.
I have torn my throat
and rasped my voice,
exhausted and desperate.
Freedom flaps its wings,
leaving me without a goodbye.
A cat is how I perceive myself
I socialize with my friends
And exchange news and insights
I hear the rhythmic pounding of
The basketball dribbling back and forth
On the glossed hardwood of the court
I enjoy school and my studies
Yet I also enjoy relaxing
In my room or on the couch
I enjoy savoring the few
Peaceful and solitary moments in my day
With only my thoughts to accompany me
As the clamor of the outside world subsides
And a serene and tranquil feeling surrounds me.
As I settle into restful sleep
Let them be as butterflies
always flying around freely
but never able to change.
I’d rather be a caterpillar,
small and growing like
a sproutling.
To have a life to look forward to,
to live for myself instead of others.
To be able to explore the world
or grow to become something beautiful.
I’d rather be ugly and invisible, and
stomped on and ignored,
than to be admired for gracefully flying in the wind
where they put on a show,
fluttering about.
I’d rather be frail and stuck to the ground
than pretty and free-flying.
If I could grow and learn about the world,
I’d rather be a caterpillar.