(The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force has said that if things' don't change there may be NO wild animals in Zimbabwe by 2013.)In the ancient rocky landscape of Matobo
a rhino, with horn surgically removed
to deter the poachers,
approaches.
I watch it with sad awe
as everyone round me
desperately takes
photos.
Twenty years later in the chaos
of human suffering and politics
the animals are quietly
disappearing.
Lost Stuff for Totally Optional Prompts
Not so much lost, as stolen. Once they're extinct, what will be the next species to suffer?
ReplyDeleteIt makes me want to cry thinking about this. We humans are so reckless. It is unforgivable.
ReplyDeleteMost of us know so many similar heart-wrenching stories, and yet, we still need constant reminders just what pain we are inflicting on the animals, the planet, the very survival of humanity itself!
ReplyDeleteGreat write!
So much suffering in the natural world, so much human suffering, if only we could change things...really change what needs to be changed.
ReplyDeleteMadness! Sheer madness.
ReplyDeleteA sad piece and such a sad part of the world just now on so many levels. The rhino's behaviour and sense of itself must be so altered.
ReplyDeleteIs there an adopt a Rhino program?
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ReplyDeleteSorry my dear, I have not typed in a while.
ReplyDeleteI am one with your feelings expressed in this poem. Too much has been lost there in human and animal life. The world is a small place and it's time to start caring about things other than SUV's. Very well put my friend
love-bd
Wrenching, "sad awe", indeed. Thanks for this, Crafty.
ReplyDeleteStan - stolen, you're right...
ReplyDeleteSelma - makes me cry too....
greyscale, beloved dreamer, deb - thanks
nathan, anthony - I agree
apprentice - yes first with the horns removed and even more now there nuimbers are decreasing so much
d,moll - good point, I'll find out some details and post about it...
How depressing. I despair that we will learn and correct our bad behavior before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteSuch a touching poem. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteah, poignant... greed and stupidity wreak havoc... is there any hope at all?
ReplyDeleteWe never seem to learn...
ReplyDeletebonded forever
A reminder of the sadness we must carry every day, whether we realize it or not.
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