Elephants have always been one of my favorite animals, and having seen these beautiful creatures in person, that love has only grown. Elephant populations have decreased by 30%...but to be honest, their numbers have been depleting since poaching started. Here is a poem I wrote to raise awareness; it's called The Elephant, I hope you like it!

I saw a grey elephant

Out in the bush one day

Flapping its gigantic ears to cool itself

It looked back at me with wisdom in its eyes

He didn't run or flee

like I'd expected him to

Instead, he beckoned me to follow

with a wave of his graceful trunk

I did as he bade me, following close behind.

As we walked, I looked at the footprints left behind,

massive like gongs and strong enough to kill a man;

maybe even me.

I reached the object of our destination,

beneath a Baobab tree,

and saw a herd of elephants staring back at me.

From cows and calves to bulls and more

They each stared at me with expectance in their eyes;

A cow had just given birth to her new calf

wrapping her securely in her trunk.

They were out in the open, vunerable and slow

They would surely die without my help.

I slowly walked towards them, hands outstretched

Offering nothing but peace and love in my actions

They both seemed to know I was trying to help

Coming willingly without a second thought.

As I led them back to the safety of the tree,

The whole herd trumpeted their thanks with glee.

From that day forward,

They adopted me into the fold

And I stayed with them until it got cold.

Years later, my parade left me

And I was brokenhearted as to why they would leave

Years later, I saw the bull again

And he led me once more to the Baobab tree;

What I saw that day

Was quite a different scene

The bull was the only one left now it seemed

I bones upon bones of my elephant friends

Their sockets staring back at me

Holes without end.

Their tusks were gone

Used on the black markets

They had never expected to become such targets

Their legs were crippled from the gunshot wounds

I finally realized I was staring into a vast tomb

I wept and I cried for my friends that have died

Underneath the shade of the Baobab tree

I looked back, seeking solace

From my last surviving friend

But he had vanished too, a ghost in the wind.