POEM
Relaxing in My Spots
Should I mask at home — is it worth it?
I have this camouflage
that I wear in the wild
to blend with the scene
conceal in plain sights
At home in my spots
I think it’s safe to relax.
But you say —
spots are not good enough
How can I change them?
Stripes, cheque pattern or polka dots
or animate a scene —
a chameleon movie
Stripes may be the best
masked by the bars,
I freeze in the mirror —
when you look I am free
I’m afraid to move
to escape from the cage
the embrace of my keeper
in the sights of the hunters
The snow leopard is lonely
the zebra prays with the herd
neither are caged
by the wilderness of spots.
This poem is the result of my wife challenging me, seemingly saying that I need to act differently at home and the bleak, autistic overreaction this triggered in me. No animals were harmed in the making of this poem.
© Pablo St. Paul
English writer in Indonesia
