Living shadow, masqueraded in darkness incarnate,

A jungle prowler gifted with rare sable hues of remarkable sight.

Alas, displaced from its spectral realm to stalk no more, a face frozen in time,

Simple wallflower, a grisly welcome to the affluent household guests.

 

Behemoths, thundering giants that lumber across the Serengeti,

Brilliant beasts of impeccable smarts donned with tusks of sun-bleached ivory.

As the shadows lengthen, lives are shortened. Butchery and burglary of a fascinating creature,

Just for your trinket to gather dust upon the mantle.

 

Fiery orange, blazing in the celestial god’s morning beams,

Tendrils of black draping across the smooth auburn fleece.

Eyes of vivid amber, blind to the beauty of the world,

Majestic feline, dethroned to no more than a rug underfoot.

 

Not just a statistic from a realm unvisited, unconfined to worlds unknown.

But huddled in a dank corner in a city, pink wounds still tender and healing from the last struggle.

Soft whimpers falling upon deaf ears, relentlessly thrown back into the torrent of teeth and claws.

A pawn of greed. A slave to ignorance. Brutality returned with a desire to please, an unconditional love.

 

To allow the living shadows to stalk another day.

To let the aging bull remain adorned with his noble tusks.

To keep the regal cat from becoming a mere possession.

To save from the pain, provide the unrequited adoration that’s well deserved.

 

A way to save those unable to defend themselves from the callousness of man.

Not simply a job, not just a career. But a dedication to the innocent, big or small.

To help, that’s all I ask, provide actions that help to save from the undeserved cruelty.

To be a voice for the voiceless and open the eyes of the blind.

Not a job, no - A calling.