Animal Poem by Barbara Reddick

I awake in the blizzard
Hearing faint whimpers
I must protect them
I shield my young from winter’s cold whispers

The littlest one’s heart
Has already ceased to beat
His withered and empty cocoon
I leave for this lonely cave to keep

As the pack moves swiftly on
I slowly drift away
And become a white seagull
Gliding over the ocean spray

The great cold approaches
Together we must fly
Towards the sun and warmth
Not knowing if we live or die

But that doesn’t matter anymore
At the present moment
I am now a small carp
Directed solely by the river’s torrent

Suddenly the carp no longer exists
As I become a ladybug, a dog, a snake
My imagination’s the limit
Until the moment I wake