Just Out of Reach (Edges of their Ocean)

was on some tropical island
where tourists go
and saw an inlet along the beach
where they used net walls
to show their trained dolphins

you asked me if I wanted to see the dolphins

I said no

and it made me wonder,
which is worse:

keeping wild sea animals
in total captivity
all of their lives
with man-made ponds
with man-made walls

or training wild sea animals
in captivity, and then taking them
to the edges of their ocean
putting up man-made walls
right up at the beachfront
giving them their water
so they can look out
at what they're missing

as we walked away along the beach
I saw a trainer on a platform
guide a dolphin
as it flipped through the air

and I thought

let an infant lick a lollipop
then pull it away

even after they've stopped crying
even if they're used to what they've got
all they can do now
is stare at that lollipop
just out of reach