elephant

Lions,Tigers,Elephants-when the Circus came to our town
Each cage held a Fierce Creature.Only the elephants were outside-
chained but softly chewing hay,watching with their huge eyes
as we stared at their tusks and ears and trunks and bulk.
Size matters!(we would not pay to see a flea circus
You are so large you were adopted by Republicans!
Plato alluded to you.Apparently small you were in Atlantis-
and your Gigantic Strength has been harvesting forests
and carting trees and armies(a la Hannibal)eternally.
When Tsunami hit-you knew before the birds
You refused orders(you are not suicidal)and moved to higher ground.
You are still shot for your ivory-yet treasured in foreign zoos and circuses
Like humans,you can only be partially trained.When the wilde wild whispers
you can still run rampant through city streets,to be tranquillized or shot by police
Generally,the myth of elephant stampedes is old as Tarzan movies stock footage
You are tranquil,calm,plodding,caring for your young,seeking grass and waterholes
Your long elephant life and long elephant memory is stock for many poems
You are more than this.I set you free.Thank you for this meditation.