a seagull’s - flat-footed
the penguin’s – waddled
a leopard’s – slap-footed
the pigeon’s – hot-footed
an elephant’s – lumbering
the grackle’s - strident
a bulldog’s – wide-legged
I’m referring to them
while really pointing at us
being half animal anyway
maybe we chose one
that matched the pecking order
of our young lives
picked the predator’s stride
something exotic or perfectly harmless
though at some point we forgot
the land of appearances
and walked into old age
just happy to put one foot
in front of the other
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