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the zoo

There are creatures from all
different ages at the zoo
in Dannun Dwann:
brontosauri,
placid, nibbling shrubbery
by the ton;
centaurs
reading the morning papers;
seals and sea lions
barking, splashing in dark water;
crazed piranha
tearing apart a mermaid;
elephants; antelope; griffins -
all manner of creatures,
each in its natural habitat.

Once,
a saber-toothed tiger escaped -
it was seen prowling the alleys
down by the docks.
The police searched
but couldn’t find it.
(They didn’t look too hard.)

The next day, the tiger
was found at the door of its cage,
scratched, beaten, bleeding,
one tooth missing, the other cracked,
whining to get back inside.

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