Talk to The Animals
An Abecedarian Poem
A murder of crows, a dule of mourning doves come together,
Black and white, joined by a
Clowder of ear-tipped cats and a pack of stray
Dogs, previously nature’s political opponents,
Enemies who put aside misplaced hate to become
Friends. Perhaps they can unite all species,
Get the mice involved, the alligators, the bees, the opossums, the
Humans. Perhaps there can be peace, they cry and coo and bark in unison.
I’m doubtful, the wise old owl says, that humans will
Join us. Each year, I watch them grow more impatient and less
Kind. They spew hateful and divisive rhetoric and I fear they’ll always be
Literalists who eschew imagination, beauty, love, and the frailty of others.
Maybe humans are just not intelligent or too stubborn, chirps a
Nightingale. I agree neighs a horse, then a mule.
Or selfish and judgmental, like I was to you, a cat says to a mouse.
Pooh! You didn't kill me, the mouse replies. But I hope we’re not being
Quixotic. Humans can be very cruel. Depraved. Meanspirited.
Remember, says a piglet, although some humans shoot us and eat us,
Some make children of us. But many abandon us, says a skittish puppy,
They own us and discard us, and I fear we will never understand them.
Unless we do the most obvious thing,
Vowed the wise old owl, hooting, pleased with himself.
What? What do we do with haters and lovers, with
Xenophobes and xenophiles, with sinners and saints, a curly lamb baas?
You, we all, do this, says the wise old owl. We free every animal in every
Zoo, and cage the humans until they finally understand.
About the Creator
Lacy Loar-Gruenler
Lacy Loar-Gruenler worked for a decade as a newspaper journalist and editor. In March 2023, she completed an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature at Harvard University.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Comments (32)
Brilliant storytelling, with a creative take on this challenge, and a serious message threaded in your poem! “Perhaps there can be peace, they cry and coo and bark in unison” is a line that stood out to me, and makes me hopeful but also sad for the way we treat animals:/ Well done 👏🏾
Congrats, Lacy! This is an outstanding Abecedarian! Loved the different animal voices and the anchoring image of their gathering!
Congratulations on the runner up win!!!🥰🥰🥰
Congratulations on your win and May you succeed in your quest to cage the humans and free the animals
An excellent statement on the Human condition, as observed by other species, and not a bad solution from their perspective. You managerd it well in the abecedarian form, too. Congratulations!
Well, in my humble opinion this should be poem of the year; my goal of digging deeper into the various conduits of The Vocal is paying off! Wildly brilliant!
Excellently expressed and felt. Both thought provoking and fun!
YES!!!!! Congratulations on your Top Story. It needed to be told :)
Wow... excellent read & well deserved Top Story! I love the various animals chiming in with pros & cons of letting humans join in!
This is a pretty cool train of thought - poem. Your idea works well and you work it well. Nicely done.
Love this twist. Beautifully done.
Outstanding, I have a passion for owls and the photo and your words are fantastic. Congratulations
Wow. Congratulations.
Great job
Great job
Your poem was so well thought out and executed. And talk about accurate! I heard the message loud and clear. Great work!!!
Congratulations on top story!
Congratulations to TS
❣️ Beautiful poem ❣️
wow incredible poem!!
Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉
I want to be with the animals. Sometimes, I don't recognise myself alongside other humans. I hope they have some sort of screening process, a humanity detector before the caging. Thought-provoking.
Gosh this is excellent. So well written. And unfortunately so true.
I learnt a new word today, quixotic! Also, as I always say, humans are the worst things on this planet, lol. I really do hope animals would take over one day and keep humans in cages! Loved your Abecedarian and congratulations on your Top Story!
Beautifully written, Lacy!