Animal Families

A Poetry Video 24 Years in the Making

I remember when the year 2000 seemed like a far-away pipe dream.

I remember when the year 1984 was way, way far into the future.

And now, it’s 2024.

To celebrate, I’m sharing a poem I wrote in the year 2000, called “Animal Families.” Now that we have AI to create graphics at our fingertips, I was able to populate this video with the animals as I imagined them.

Prior to making the video, I showed the poem to a select group of people whose work I greatly admire here on Substack.

Gloria Horton-Young said: “Your poem is not just a delightful narrative about an animal kingdom but also a profound commentary on the human condition.”

E. Jean Carroll said: “The last line kills me! Thank you, Patty. It's devastating and brilliant!”

Enjoy!