Rhinos are certainly not the only African animals whose very existence is threatened by poaching and unregulated hunting. African elephants continue to be slaughtered for their ivory, much of which is in commercial demand abroad.
Here, in another fine poem from the rhino anthology, UK poet Alison Lock reminds us of our own responsibility to help preserve these fabulous creatures. ‘Don’t buy ivory!’ is the powerful and essential message.
The Trunk
She gave me a string
of rosebuds, cream,
scented with almonds
inherited from an uncle
who’d stalked
the plains of Africa.
Too heavy
for my sapling neck
they adorned my doll
Angelina, and when
the threading
cord had broken
I placed them in a trunk
where they lay
for years until the day
when a man on the TV
pointed to a carcass
captured, de-tusked
discarded by poachers.
Tipping over the trunk
I let the ivory beads run free.
Alison Lock
