by Julia Griffin

“Romeo and Juliet, two elderly manatees, get a happy ending
For months, Romeo, a sexagenarian manatee, spent his days alone swimming in circles in a
small tank at a Miami aquarium. Stuck in another tank was Juliet, also in her 60s, along with a
third manatee. … [A] team of veterinarians and animal care specialists this week transported
Romeo, Juliet and the other manatee, Clarity, to new homes at ZooTampa and SeaWorld in
Orlando, two animal critical care facilities.”
—The Washington Post

Two manatees (plus one, to be exact)
From fair Miami (not completely fair)
Have gone to find the freedom that they lacked,
And also proper veterinary care.
Hauled up, then down, with special cranes and cranks,
Soothed into crates (the best that science boasts),
They’ve zoomed upcoast: zoophilites, give thanks!
ZooTampa and SeaWorld are now their hosts.
There they may swim in something more like seas,
And we can feel a certain righteous glow;
Thank manatees, humanity’s at ease:
For never was a story of less woe
Than this of Romeo and his Juliet!
(And also Clarity, let’s not forget.)