I am an Animal

I am an Animal

By Tony DeLorger © 2012

Indispensible my broad view of potential,

to allay my fears of the inherent dark nature of men,

forever tugging at that primordial urge for self-preservation.

I bristle with rage from deep within my soul,

every time confronted with that base animal ferocity,

yet quell my response, knowing

it is my shadow that presses my innate beast,

quietly lurking, festering within.

I am an animal, nothing more,

albeit one with the potential of consideration and aspiration,

one with the dull remnants of a heart,

that can forgive, love and accept change.

We swarm this earth like ants,

yet take more than we give,

destroy more than we create

and love less than our pets, in reality.

Arrogance is our forte,

our password to the freedom of complicity,

yet we are far from it,

far from the harmony that exists within all other life forms.

I cannot resist my animal nature,

but I can acknowledge it

and move forward despite it,

clawing to reach a vantage point

where I can understand balance and my possibilities,

having a rightful place in a perfect creation.

We are imperfect,

at the bottom of the evolutionary order,

so far, incapable of selfless sharing and harmonious life,

below a simple plant, an insect or a cell.

I am an animal, wretched in my actions,

wanting in my compassion for life,

but I have potential,

and I choose to move forward,

to prove to life that I am worth the fight.