Elegy for Elephants

Pachyderms prance in

in royal robes, bangled legs

jeweled crowns

floral painted trunks,

gold capped tusks

heralds of the Mogul glory

Hannibal lumbered the Goliaths

over the Alps losing half to winter

heroes of the Punic Wars

his thick skinned war machines

impervious to Roman arrows

Ringmasters made elephants

circus stars, who on command

stood on their heads

balanced on balls

trumpeted to the crowd

Bronx Zoo: an elephant sucked

peanuts from their young hands

squealing in delight when

father lifted them up the fence

they saw the chain around the leg

Elephants are wild animals

they can crush you – best

to hobble the beasts

yet tourists ride their backs

others say its cruel

Poached pachyderms slaughtered

reduced by market forces to

the job of ivory hocker

monkey men count

the loan in monetary value

When the last elephant dies

Earth eliminates the human.