I took someone to the zoo this week

At all of the creatures we did peek

They sat and looked back at us

From their cages, they just stared blankly

The visit left me feeling very sad for the cruelty of their incarceration

They had committed no crime yet they were still held against their will

Why? For the amusement of the visitors and profits of the owners

Tormented by being able to see what freedom looked like

Birds in cages too small for them to fly in

Sealions in an area of water like a large fishpond

Penguins in an area devoid of any interest as they stood and looked despairingly

Apes that had nothing to do but watch the gawping visitors

For me, the only thing that brightened a sad day was a wild treecreeper 

Climbing a tree in a paddock literally as free as a bird

This is not the first time I have been saddened by a zoo visit

But I have decided I will not visit a zoo again and support these abominations