I’ve always wondered how an animal perceives the universe.
For an animal like a cat or a dog, their yard and neighborhood are their whole world. They have no real conception of life beyond what they directly experience through their five senses. Do they look to the stars and dream like a human does?
I don’t think we are much different than our animal friends when it comes to finding answers to deeper questions. Our world is shaped through our senses and experiences. It is also limited by the limitations of those elements. Whenever we think we have a gained handle on life, death, the universe, and everything in between, new discoveries challenge the knowledge we thought we had acquired.
This poem is framed as inner thoughts of a small animal leading a simple life within a complex world.
Prowling through tall grass. Relying on my senses alone. What do my eyes see? Which sounds greet my ears? Where does the breeze blow carrying deceptive aromas straight to my nostrils? Predator seeking prey. Prey fleeing predators. Both scenarios apply within this outpost along the food chain. This is my own world. This is where I belong. Why do I need to build a towering death ray? Destroy an unfamiliar world? Stars tell countless stories. Skies are an ancient library holding faraway tales. Filled with mysteries better left undisturbed. Tall grass is my sanctuary My world and my home.
Did you enjoy this poem? Check out my other poetry in the Strange New Worlds archives.
Looks like one of my cats.