At the Zoo

At the Zoo

A peacock flares its plume,
shooting eyes into the air,
and struts.

An elephant kneels,
face creased with age,
tired from walls it can't get around.

A mouse scurries into its cement burrow,
shivering against the glass
as small children tap outside.

It begins to drizzle,
and the crowds thin and return home,
never reaching their houses.

The animals settle into their
dens and nests;
everything is already over.