Oumma Aularesso

Oumma Aularesso

(Animal Laugh)


               The one who thought
     Instead of looking for food
   Spent all his time worrying
      About killing and freezing
        Instead of sunning himself  The one who built
                  On a warm rock      Instead of fitting in
                   Running out          The holes
                       His blood      Nature had made for him
          On his friend's rock      To spend the night
           And the animals laughed    In a reed hut
Because they had no such worries        Not a solid cave
                In their heads        In the earth he should be
              And plenty of food        Not the hands of man
 It was stored away for winter      And the animals laughed
                                      Because they had thickets
                                        And holes
                                      And down
                                        It was stored away for winter
                The one who fought
           Instead of fitting in
                     The holes
His own society had made for him
                  To live his life  The one who fought
                         In fear      Out of fear
       Of the world around him          Into fear
                         In fear      And futility
       Of the world inside him      To live his life
           And the animals laughed    In his perfect world
  Because they knew what to fear        Without perfection
                      From him        Producing flaws
                His own creation        And no joy
 It was stored away for winter      And the animals laughed
                                      Because they could
                                        And he could not
                                      Find peace
                                        It was stored away for winter
                 The one who built
                         A world
  He could not even understand
                         Himself
                  To save his life  The one who thought
               He had endangered      He was the master
                       Himself          Of nothing
           Everything around him      Save the world
                    Was danger      Inside his head
           And the animals laughed    In his world
     Because they saw the danger        He was not confined
                        To him        To his world
         He was hiding out in it        But to the inside of his head
 It was stored away for winter      And the animals laughed
                                      Because they saw the outside
                                        Waiting for him
                                      Their future could wait
                                        It was stored away for winter
- Stephen Foskett, '93