they are so placid and self-contain’d
—Walt Whitman
No more tears
And no false friends
To waste them on.
When I’m out walking
Crows meet and follow.
They don’t judge me
But let me belong.
I’ve come to know
Animals and birds
And in the woods
Feel at home.
Spend an hour
In silence there
And they accept me
As their own.
In the human zoo
It’s a different story—
Few are humble,
Most out for glory.
I watch them tend
Their cars and houses,
And measure friends
By jobs and spouses.
But I’ve learned
To live simply…
Take care of my home,
Not keep up with the Jones