The Elephant

You think you know the Elephant
His compassion and his intellect
Ears waving, flapping like flags
Against his baggy clothes
The way the head
Hangs down
The lumbering walk
The gentle swing
Back and forth, back and forth

Do you really know the Elephant
His mammoth brain a mystery
Curious eyes and sad demeanor
That look to humankind
And ponder why
We kill
For gold or pleasure
Where’s the rage
High and low, here and there


How can you know the Elephant?
His foreign traits and habits
Are we somehow chosen?
Immune from Nature’s power
Is there time
To know
The Elephant
Time to save the Elephant
And ourselves? Save the world?