The Animals Decide to Become Invisible

Tigers went first, they were tired

of being accused over every cow

that went missing so faded away

to sunset stripes that shimmered

then were gone.

Lions, jaguars, leopards and cheetahs

vanished, chasing their fast fading prey,

their roars and growls hung

in the air for a while

then silence.

Polar bears slid over ice into virtual dens,

burrowing into new dimensions

where they met penguins

and walruses slipping equally fast

out of sight.

Fish, frogs and snakes buried themselves

in mud, wriggled for a time

then went still, while the birds

spiralled away

into cloud.

Finally, domestic cats prowled

down their secret highways

curious to know where the mice

had gone, miaows echoing

in our memories.

Leaving only pet dogs,

too obedient to leave our sides

but wondering what had happened

to all the smells

they used to love.

**

This poem was originally published in Orbis magazine a few years ago but I'm posting it here now to mark the publication of the Global Assessment report from the
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warning that 1 million animal and plant species are facing extinction because of human activity.