03 July 2022

On Wild life Protection and Philanthropy from the Depths of the Philadelphia Suburban Environment

Source










 

Last week I tried to wrap my mind around
the plight of animals in Africa, in West Africa:
lions and giraffes, of course, but also pygmy
hippopotami, Diana monkeys and zebra duikers,
West African Manatee, dwarf crocodiles, Niger 
stingrays, and white-breasted guinea fowl.

I couldn’t. My mind didn't expand to embrace
wildlife impacted by forest destruction and habitat
degradation. You see, I now know the words.
I travelled further in Western Africa last week
than I ever expect to in real life. I am grateful
for the challenge that expanded my vocabulary.

Yet the creative part of me couldn’t, wouldn't, travel.  
I shelter here with my cats, each of us shaken by 
fireworks that sound like guns, by new strains of 
covid and guns, by racism-sexism-classism and guns, 
by loss of democracy and proliferation of guns. 
Still trying to serve and love one being at a time.

Is it good to know that in the scheme of cultures
I live in a place relatively safe?  Shudder.  The safer
I feel, the more I know that we take our needs from
and leave our by-products elsewhere. That work needed
in care of endangered species everywhere, 
must start here, and must begin yesterday.



My blog poems are rough drafts.
Please respect my copyright.
© 2022 Susan L. Chast

2 comments:

  1. I am so glad to read this poem, Susan. I am moved that my prompt led you to really take an in-=depth look at the problem of endangered beasts in Africa. As I read, I was thinking that we - here in the first world -are as at risk as the lions and rhinos, given the growth of white supremacy, the leaning towards authoritarian government, and the stranglehold of the far right on human rights and environmental reform. The line I love the most: "Still trying to serve and love one being at time." I love that! So glad to read this poem. So glad you wrote it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "and guns"... that third verse really drives home the point. Where is it truly safe - for people? for the animals? :(

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog!