Quarantined (Noah's Story) Poem by Day Williams

I'm isolated on the ark
With only seven to talk to:
Cats meow, birds chirp, dogs bark
And I'm the keeper of God's zoo.

Keep lions far from the gazelles,
Keep water in the hippo pool,
Keep bears with meat, let monkeys yell,
Keep jaguars warm, keep penguins cool.

I clean the stalls with grumble-grunts,
The odor of the elephant
(Who leaves big droppings on the floor)
Would drive a lesser man out the door.

Squeals, rattles, hisses, snarls and growls,
Squeaks, bellows, roars, chatter and shrieks
Whines, snorts, calls, hee-haws, baas, and howls...
I haven't slept in seven weeks.

My wife complains about the smells,
My sons won't help me clean the stalls-
When this is over, I tell you:
I will find places with no walls.

If only I could swim away,
I'd find an island in the sun,
I'd farm my crops the live-long day,
With no animals, none, not one.