A Performer’s Tale

 

Hi – my name is Neil,

And I’m a performing seal.

 

As an innocent young pup,                   

I would bask in the sunlight,                 

Languidly lain on the rocks,                  

With no yearning for limelight.  

 

At times I’d catch the herrings,

Thrown by pleasure-boat skippers.      

Encouraged, I’d give encores,              

Wildly clapping my flippers.                 

 

A web of lies and deceit                       

Turned my head, from games to fame,  

And I left my sheltered home,                                       

In search of wider acclaim.                   

 

I performed my range of tricks             

To a welcoming audience,                    

Though, in time, tired of my act,           

Applause turned to indifference.           

 

I tried changing my routine;                  

Honking horns; balancing balls,            

But the crowds had diminished.

Now I play in smaller halls.                  

 

I still sit on my dais,                              

Waiting for fish to be tossed,                

But without the adulation                      

I feel quite utterly lost.              

 

I may have to return home,                   

Become environmental,            

For there I may receive the                              

Public’s ‘Seal of Approval’.