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Two Parts of the Road as a Whole by Borg de Nobel
(http://borgeous.wordpress.com) used with permission
Image:1 Courtesy of d'Verse with kind permission of artist
Unfinished business
Midway in life's journey
As a bull elephant knew how
A modicum of honor
A mite too rash
But did it anyway
To avenge the demise
of a little one
It took the Iron Horse
to task head-on
It never had a chance
But it did find itself
In the annals of history
Heroics of a kind
The responsibilities
of a leader brought to extremes
Reckless ,virtuous,brave and plain madness
a living example,dead,for
an elephant never did forget!
Process Note: A tribute to a bull elephant in defence of its herd had rammed head-on against a train . A train had the day before ploughed into a baby calf. Read (here) and (here)
Written for Claudia's at d'Verse appreciating talented contemporary artist Borg de Nobel, Poets United's Poetry Pantry #112 and Carry on Tuesday #170, to use Midway in Life's Journey as a prompt
Written for Claudia's at d'Verse appreciating talented contemporary artist Borg de Nobel, Poets United's Poetry Pantry #112 and Carry on Tuesday #170, to use Midway in Life's Journey as a prompt
oh holy cow man....that is pretty crazy...but says much of the bull elephant and its family ties as well....wow...seriously blowing my mind thinking about it....
ReplyDeleteOh dear - what a sad story - very well done - but terribly sad story. k.
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, the poor thing...elephants are extremely devoted to their own..as are man...can't blame him one bit. Glad there's a nice sign in honor of the unfortunate clash.
ReplyDeleteThrough poem and back story the picture comes alive
ReplyDeleteo heck what a story...gave me shivers...so no forgetting and forgiving in the elephant world..
ReplyDeleteExcellent poem. Well done!
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange little story. Just saw the sign. Strange level of understanding given empire mentality. Good link with art image and poem narrative.
ReplyDeleteLike this very much. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteAww...how sad... we keep taking their lands away to build on, taking away their food and hunting grounds and I suppose they are also fighting for survival too. So sad he did this but, they live in family life and try to protect their young as much as we do.
ReplyDeleteCan't read the story, your poem is enough to know how sad it is. Brave elephant.
Hank, that is quite a story. That is one MOTIVATED elephant!!
ReplyDeleteYour interpretation of the image is so literal and it was fun to find the story in the art.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, what a story ~ He never forgot, that is for sure ~ Enjoyed the share Hank ~
ReplyDeleteNot mess with Papa elephant and I guess it must be true an elephant never forgets.
ReplyDeleteSelamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Hank, Maaf Zahir Batin. I think I am back :)
Sir Hank,
ReplyDeleteThis - is simply one of your best.
That is so sad!
ReplyDeletesomething like this has been happening in our part of the world as well.the tracks run close to forests and the depletion of natural habitats often cause elephants to wander onto the tracks, only to be crushed by trains.very sad.and a very good poem indeed.
ReplyDeleteLovely writing but a very sad story ;)
ReplyDeleteHank,
ReplyDeleteA very powerful piece of writing. Perhaps as humans, we never pause long enough to consider the pain of animals. We are too selfish I fear.
Best Wishes,
Eileen
I so adore elephants, who are extremely clan-oriented. Brave elephant, facing the enemy who had killed one of the babies. Thanks for bringing us this story, Hank. I read the news story. A sad tale. Sadly, so many more elephants killed by humans since those days.
ReplyDeleteAwesome poem Hank. I was pleasantly surprised to read a poem of you instead of a haiku. But ... man ... what a wonderful (shocking) poem this is. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSad write, but I felt the innate honor in it--and when push comes to shove, I hope I can find the same honor in myself
ReplyDeleteWhat a story, Hank. Well-told and sad.
ReplyDeleteAnimals love, especially elephants, it seems. Powerful, sad, true. Excellent response to the painting.
ReplyDeleteA powerful, tragic tale, demonstrating the tight, devoted bonds that exist in the elephant world! Beautifully told in poetry illustrating the family heartbreak!
ReplyDeleteWow that surely shows loyalty indeed, not many can say the same.
ReplyDeletewow. that's wonderful. thank you for celebrating the elephants and their loyalty and bravery!! we intrude into their lives in so many ways, and make them into our slaves
ReplyDeleteslowly it had to last
Hank, Elephants are my favorite wild creatures, and here you portrayed them as understanding "poetic justice," which is brill. But the poor bull elephant. How many people would do this after losing one they love to a machine? Hmmm... GREAT.
ReplyDeleteAmy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/08/22/diva-heart-in-denial-whirl-trifecta/
Just plain powerful--came across even before I read your description!
ReplyDelete"It took the Iron Horse to task
head-on It never had a chance"
Honor, vengeance, and maybe a bit of nothing left to live for hurtled this one to his death. "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord" but in this case it hardly applies. Who is the god of the elephants who bring so much good to mankind?
Sad :(
ReplyDeletewhat a great way to honour such a noble beast. Such a sad story
ReplyDelete