An hour before the gates opened to the public the human couple were locked in their cage between the leopards and the orangutans. Their meals were prepared at scheduled times, served to them on plates, the food consumed while curious onlookers gathered outside their bars. The couple stared back, curious too. As a rule they ignored the questions asked of them, tired of giving the same answers. And the rude comments and gestures became more of an amusement for them as the days went on. To pass the time she read novels and biographies while he amused himself with the remote control, scanning television channels for vicarious thrills in the arenas of sports, news, or simply gazing at the manufactured wonder of nothing in particular. And despite the omnipresence, their awareness of being observed, to celebrate their freedom they talked intimately, kissed and made love upon a bed of sailing sheets to the sound of applause – whether real or imagined.
Excerpt from Light-Years in the Dark: StoryPoems (see more)