Nature and the Environment Poems

By Adriana Herrera

Lab Rat 

Fur as white and pure as snow, I wonder where your feelings go. 
Do you venture to your wheel? Do you find your home surreal? 
Is there pain under your skin? Is there fear from deep within? 
Every day the same, pokes and prods to remain tame. 
Beeps, clicks, smells galore. Only a subject, nothing more. 
A tiny cage to house your sorrow, scared and waiting til tomorrow. 
Grow dormant and fall, there are many like you to heed the call. 
In your heaven there is grass, emerald blankets to love, alas 
for now you are a number, a digit on paper for us to discover. 

Staghorn Sumac 

Red supergiant, 
sitting on a single branch. 
Stars of ruby red, 
soft to the touch, sweet in taste. 
A galaxy, in my hand. 

Lemur 

I wish I were a Lemur.  

Although small, they hold it all. 
Take me for a fool, a dreamer.  

They are not expected to adhere to demeanor. 
They aren’t called sweetie or baby-doll. 
I wish I were a lemur. 

With fur, my clothes would be no misdemeanor. 
There would be no worries about a cat-call. 
Take me for a fool, a dreamer. 

For a lemur, respect is what surrounds her, 
she is not seen as weak or small. 
I wish I were a lemur. 

She is matriarch, hunter, and teacher. 
For her, strength does not break protocol. 
Take me for a fool, a dreamer. 

But I wish I were her. 
With power no one can stall. 
Take me for a fool, a dreamer. 
I wish I were a Lemur.