A Poet at a Dolphin Show – A Poem

When you live near a famous aquarium, all your visitors have that place on the top of their tourism to-do list. As a result, and as part of being a good host you have to visit and sometimes watch some incredible but helpless marine animals in captivity, including Dolphins, perform in shows – for a piece of food, trained by man, for the entertainment of man.

While being absolutely amazed at these super intelligent animals’ incredible ability to learn, every time I have sat in the audience of these shows, amidst the laughter and cheers of spectators, in the darkness of the auditorium, I have secretly sobbed. Because no matter what kind of policies all aquariums/dolphinariums claim to have in place, one thing is for sure – while deceiving us with that permanent smile nature has given to them, the dolphins in captivity suffer, beyond our imagination. They don’t belong in those tiny tanks, and under artificial lights, their home is under the open sky, and they need to go back to the sea.

Poem & Art ©2023 Gyaneshwari Dave

Feature image: Domenico Bandiera on Pexels