All of God's creatures have rights, a fact that most people don't seem to recognize. This includes both human and non-human animals, but not all of them can speak for themselves.
Backyard birds!
Almost everybody has them
And I have to say it fills me with dismay,
Every time I have to go into
Some other person's yard,
And I see those wire cages tucked away.
Backyard birds!
Why do people have to have them
When they've every other thing for fun and leisure,
It seems so very mean to be
So generous with themselves
Yet deprive a little bird of every pleasure.
The number of 'pet' birds in Australia is greater than the number of all dogs and cats combined. Birds have evolved to fly great distances yet in some cages they can't even flutter from one perch to the next. Most species kept as pets are highly gregarious yet are often kept in solitary confinement. Birds in the wild spend much of their time foraging for food. In a cage they have nothing to do.
Go on to: Backyard Dog
Return to: Poetry by Jenny Moxham
Return to Animal Rights Poetry