The Litter I See Project

I’m livid at Lost Cockatiel
Telfea’s poster pink
If I admitted what I feel
you’d send me to a shrink

We’re on our way to Harris Court
me and my skeleton key
to sneak up while Telfea’s out
and set sweet Sugar free

Pet shops, zoos and carnivals,
cages and enclosures,
amphibian emporiums,
Stop it, sickening losers!

I’ll stretch out wide Telfea’s cage
and lock dumb humans in it,
leave the plains to the elephants,
sky to lark and linnet!

Cut the range of human song
Bind our ten-toed stride
and let the animals thread the earth
by flock, by school, by pride

Telfea, oh Telfea
I don’t mean to blame you only
It’s not your fault all human blight
Has made poor Sugar lonely

♦

Kathleen Winter’s  novel Annabel was a #1 bestseller in Canada and has been translated worldwide. Her story collection boYs edited by John Metcalf won numerous awards. Her Arctic memoir Boundless (2014) was shortlisted for Canada’s Weston and Taylor non fiction prizes and has been sold internationally. The Freedom in American Songs (Stories, Biblioasis) also came out in 2014. Born in the UK, Winter lives in Montreal after many years in Newfoundland.

♦♦♦

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“this personal dilemma will motivate you you lucky you”