Of Seals, and Our Smiles
The last time they did any harm to anyone was probably thousands
of years ago；therefore we catch them and cut them up into coats，
Their frolicsomeness， too， sliced up by contemptuous human analysis；
Yes， through the binoculars of the human in the dinghy，
like a text beneath some mad scientist's magnifying-glass
The seals as they cavort， tend to scan like some pre-prepared，
allegedly amusing， and gloriously convenient gloss which only tells us
That the weak are only here on this our sad planet to be hurt.
The last time they did any harm to anyone was probably thousands
of years ago；therefore we find them in the circus，
like purportedly hilarious characters， forced by us to be terribly funny
On multicolored stands， noses pressed up against old auto-horns，
Falling all over themselves， and performing national anthems such
as "God Bless America"； "God Save The King"； and， sometimes，
occasionally still， "The Internationale"
Half-Starved for a half-rotten fish， and the target
Of our ancient disrespect， secret loathing，
and finally outright public contempt
Since the weak are only here on this our sad planet to be hurt.
Gaze， gaze again， oh Humans of Goodwill，
upon more of what even our children typically can see
Examine， for example， the sight of a seal coming out of its
little white hut in a crowded city zoo；
and then， as it raises its remaining nose to sniff the city air
Slipping on a banana-peel； and， oh yes， let's examine all the
uproarious reactions to that， as the creature falls
For as long as the weak are only here on this our sad planet to be hurt
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