Vermillion

Vermillion
The blood spills like rain
Cruel, ruthless, they inflict the pain
She roars, she screams…but to no avail
All her resistance is bound to fail
I cringe behind a nearby shrub
I cannot save her; I am still just a cub
I watch as my giver of life is slain
I watch the grass around her stain
I watch as she roars in excruciating pain
I watch
My mother die.

I cower
Her body moves no more
She lies still amidst her own gore
Will they be satisfied that they have taken her life?
But no! the filthy vulture unsheathes his knife
He diligently sets to work on her carcass
Her skin, her teeth, her bones, her claws
I watch them throw away her heart
I watch as they take her apart
I watch what they intended from the very start
I watch
And I cry.

Memories
Her running on evergreen glades
Her ferocity, her terrifying blades
Her magnificence…but they have destroyed it all
Taking pride and glory in her fall
Is this what we have come to today?
The ‘King of the Jungle’ annihilated by our prey
Don’t massacre the tigers on this realm
Don’t steal our lives, our hopes, our dreams
Don’t kill us. Don’t make us scream
I beg you
Don’t bleed us dry.