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| A photo of an elephant I took at our local zoo |
Grieving
We once lived
in a Garden of Eden,
and of yesteryear I still dream
where we wandered free
amid swaying grass and
clear water pools.
Man's greed
and fire of 1869
rocked our world,
a handful survived,
fled into the forests,
and the Southern Cape
forever weeps.
by Margaret Bednar, January 20, 2013
HERE is a link to the Knysna Elephant Park. I thought the following quote by Romain Gary was sadly perfect: "in a truly materialistic society, poets, writers, artists and elephants are a mere nuisance."
This is belatedly for Imaginary Garden with Real Toad's "Transforming Friday" - Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub (click to see further prompt detail)
The poem below my drawing is the one I wrote first... before I realized it did not fit in with the geography of the prompt... ;P
We once lived
in a Garden of Eden,
and of yesteryear I still dream
where we wandered free
amid swaying grass and
clear water pools.
Man's greed
and fire of 1869
rocked our world,
a handful survived,
fled into the forests,
and the Southern Cape
forever weeps.
by Margaret Bednar, January 20, 2013
HERE is a link to the Knysna Elephant Park. I thought the following quote by Romain Gary was sadly perfect: "in a truly materialistic society, poets, writers, artists and elephants are a mere nuisance."
This is belatedly for Imaginary Garden with Real Toad's "Transforming Friday" - Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub (click to see further prompt detail)
The poem below my drawing is the one I wrote first... before I realized it did not fit in with the geography of the prompt... ;P
Beneath the Acacia Tree
In the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro,
beneath the shade of the acacia
I stand a chance,
nibble upon roots, bulbs, shoots,
dream of ancient migration routes,
watering holes, grassland
wonder when civilization's squeeze
will encroach upon this pocket sanctuary.
I drink long and deep, gaze upon my reflection,
stare vulnerability down, trumpet a song of hope,
intimately aware it may be my last.
by Margaret Bednar, January 20, 2013
10 comments:
Yes, the plight of the elephant is a huge concern to all. The Knysna elephants were a rare breed of forest pachyderm, threatened by poaching and deforestation until only one survived. They tried to reintroduce elephants to the region but with minimal success. Thank you for bringing them into focus for this challenge, Margaret.
beautiful sketch and photo, too. poetry of a sad plight.
Forever weeps...that last line stings for all the animals slaughtered for man's greed ~
Nice drawing of the elephant ~ I like trumpet a song of hope ~
Lovely poems both and great drawing
I adore elephants, in no small part because of their complex matriarchal society, their intelligence, and their intimate knowledge of their world which they pass on from generation to generation. To destroy any part of this just for ivory, or to develop more ground for humans, just sickens me. As a race, we consume everything, with no thought. Your quote about a materialistic society is true, and chilling.
Your sketch is fabulous, Margaret. thank you for sharing that with us. I am in awe of the intelligence and connectedness of elephants. Majestic.
Margaret- I'm glad you shared your original piece... although I enjoyed both, that one particularly touched my heart. Your sketch is fantastic, too.
So beautiful Margaret..art, photography, words. I so enjoyed both poems, but the first one you wrote really got me.
Margaret! just heartbreaking and beautifully written. Your artwork is such a pleasure to view. ♥ Thank you for joining TF!
A photographer, a poet, AND an artist...all within the same post!
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