Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

On being an animal

I’m not brave enough to be a dog, nor placid enough a cow.
I couldn’t be a haughty cat, and a tall giraffe? No-how!
A wandering whale, a dolphin, a ray or hammerhead shark.
A frog, a snake, a snail—an albatross or lark?
A northern hairy-nosed wombat, a quoll or kangaroo,
A small black-faced rock wallaby or a long-nosed poteroo.
I could go on and give a name from every class and type,
From worms and bugs and beetles to the Australian painted snipe.
But I would not be an animal, the reason is quite clear
Animals get a very poor share of earth from humans here.
And to imagine being one—I think I can’t come near
To the majesty of animals—all those creatures I revere.

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