across from the zoo

from her window

you could hear the chatter of monkeys
across
the street

in the zoo.
the roar of an occasional
lion,

yawning.

a flock of captured birds
flapping
wings, all at once,

together. the screech
of an owl.

the splash of a seal,
the stomp
of an elephant

marching across the grounds.

i'd lie in her bed
and listen

while she slept quietly,
unbothered

by the world outside.