FLOODGATE 

Somewhere in a bed of hay, an Elephant weeps.

There's the Keeper that raised her, but he's deaf
to her existence other than
to expect her submission when he yells demands in the Ring.

Is it no wonder
the baby calf that lies inside is afraid to come out.


Over a thousand years, her Kind has been our Slave
trained to bend at our every fashion and whim
forced to dance with Chains and Fire and Ice.

This night he beat her and left without leaving water and food.

As she stood wondering what behavior had been perceived as wrong,
her hunger drove knives deeper in her sides than Winter's pierce.

She'd done nothing wrong except be an Elephant that a human man
Who felt worthless thought he'd feel better if she was Hurt.

Somewhere in a nameless town, an Elephant Dreams
of thundering across tundras in Africa with a Herd
that protects her from nightmares of Men that whip Elephants.

As Dawn breaks in the early hungry hours,
at last a grateful Elephant sighs,
and draws one last breath in this gift of peace and knowing silence.

So opens a Floodgate to Humanity's Loss
that  becomes an Elephant's Triumph.

Somewhere in a bed of hay, an Elephant Smiles, 
and joins the Herd she knew only in Dreams.