The Child of City

Photo by Haley Truong on Unsplash

I’ve never swum in an ocean
I heard it tastes like dead fish
Is it worse than chlorine?

I’ve never spent my afternoon by the sea
I did it for an hour at my last vacation
ten minutes taking foolish selfies
another ten checking others’ photos of the sea
and the rest planning the next trip

I’ve never climbed a mountain
I thought I did it before, those with metallic stairs
and booths selling souvenirs
till I saw a real mountain, raw and untamed
required four feet to claim

I’ve never sat around a bee
I fled away, assuming it’d kill me
An overestimation by an egoist who
thought bees were interested in him,
as if his life was worth the sting

I’ve never seen a curious dog
sniffing the wilderness, unleashed
Is it a photos of than those in the city
who wear harness as skin

I’ve never got wet voluntarily
not by the rain, the storm nor the sea
except tap water from expensive filters —…