Let them be as puppies
Always loved, trained, and spoiled
But locked in a house.

I’d rather be a rare ocelot climbing trees like a monkey
Where they swing branch to branch, looking down at the jungle.

To have survived on my own in the rain forest,
To scamper with the damp, grassy ground beneath my paws.
To be chased by the ravenous jaguar
Or to win a fight with the hungry anaconda.

I’d rather be in a chaotic rainforest where every day is a fight for survival and if
Then everyone thinks I’m stupid and crazy,
Then to be a small, defenseless pet growing up in the city
Where they are put on a leash and handled
By greedy human hands.

I’d rather be clawed, choked, bitten and confident
Then bathed, walked, tickled and scared.
If I could dart through the rain forest with freedom and no fears,
I’d rather be a fearless, hunted ocelot.