The train ride was like a troubled jungle.
the animals would rattle,
shake and howl at each other.
We would eat like we were scavenging for food.
As if the food was scarce,
and we had to scarf the scraps off
the half eaten antilope.
 
Teachers are like zookeepers,
looking for the devious animals
who dare to break the rules.
Kids galloping back and forth,
we’re like monkeys swinging on vines.
As if we all had to track our territory,
so no one would dare cross it.
When we dozed,
we were like the hungry lion
who spends most of its day
in royal slumber.
 
When we danced,
we were like swans swimming
gracefully and swiftly.
When we sang
we were like hyenas, howling in joy.
When we were waiting to arrive,
it was like waiting for rain
so our cubs could drink.

When I was sitting small,
I was the bird soaring,
peaking
and soaring down to my friends.
When I was chatting, chewing and chirping,
I was a frog,
hopping here and there,
from tree to tree.
                 
Living in harmony,
loving the unseeable future —
that’s what animals are like —
kids on a train.
Waiting for their journey to arrive.