A Baboon at the Zoo

 Better fitted to roam the plains
Along some tropic waterway,
Than here to ever dwell in chains
On zoological display,

He knuckle-walks the concrete floor,
Glares hatred at the human race,
And dimly senses there is more
Than pacing-out this sterile space.

Does he ever look up?  Above
This place of his imprisonment,
At just a miniscule remove
Lies the starry firmament.

The universe around us teems:
The angels hover close at hand.
Heaven is closer than it seems,
But we prefer this barren land.

2012