We'll never have

We'll never have the patience of the earth
creating mountains and taking years
we'll never have the majesty of a lion
walking proudly not showing its fears
we'll never be as generous as a tree
giving of its fruits and breath for free

A bee only stings to protect its hive
the consequence of its anger it dies
a fox only steals out of hunger
its true to itself and never lies

A skunk is a simple creature
its only protection its spray
birds always sing in the morning
they give a concert every day

We'll never be as forgiving as the dolphin
caught up in a tuna net
we'll never understand like the elephant
there are too many things we forget

the earth is ours to keep for our children
ours to hold in trust and it trusts us to hold
and everything on it demands protection
until the sun grows too hot and gets cold

there is nothing that we can take with us
when its time for us to journey beyond
the earth reclaims till dust is dust
live in it and not just upon

the earth holds all the answers
to questions asked and unknown
all our answers are within reach
everywhere a cure is grown
but when a species dies
there is an answering cry
as the consequences reverberate
and gradually penetrate
every layer of life to a cell
then it will be too late to tell

you can't take away a bear's pride
by making it dance
a leopard is trut to its spots
and will flee given the chance

a zebra never ridicules its cousin the horse
for not looking or acting the same
a whale will protect its young
so to put some people to shame

a panda doesn't bask in any vanity
a panther never rests in captivity
a rhino only knows the value of its horn
is to protect itself and the young born

the only science a monkey is interested in
is how to eat, to climb, and to grin
a lion is king without taxes or debt
a tortoise's life is a gamble with never a bet

when the last redwood falls
will anybody hear it
all the wild grass smothered by cement
will we be able to bear it

will the earth shake
will we finally awake
will the water rise to claim all
will all the mountains fall
will the wind stop singing its song
will we have righted all our wrongs

(c)2017 Catherine Elder