Thandi
By Frances Macaulay Forde
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A poem submitted to the anthology to raise awareness: "Rhino in a shrinking world" but not included. I thought I'd share it anyway...
THANDI
Imagine slow, deep heart beats
echoing inside a massive hide.
Slumberous half-blind grazing.
Open veldt rare rhino protected.
Unaware evil stalks with intent.
Crack! Stinging rifle shot thrums.
Labouring body lumbers to escape.
Laid low, as deadly saw crudely
works on pointed bone bleeding
on Africa’s Skin. Enough death,
illegal trade. This is no noble
harvest to feed the starving poor…
Frances Macaulay Forde © 2012
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Comments
It should have got in. Just
It should have got in. Just one small point - I believed rhino horn is not bone, but compacted hair. But then I read:
'The rhino's horn has no bone in it at all. The fact that it is made entirely of keratin led scientists to guess that it was merely a clump of heavily compressed and modified hair.
'But a study published in 2006 and conducted using high-tech medical imaging technology revealed that the structure of rhinoceros horn is closer to that of a horse's hooves or a turtle's beak -- ending once and for all the speculation that it was just an over-sharpened cowlick.' So that told me!.
Also, I'd bring it down to PG. The earlier we learn the truth, the sooner attitudes change. That's just my opinion, though.
Liked your poem.
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I liked this very much too.
I liked this very much too. Concise, but not obscure. Actually, I thought that the rhino's horn looks like a pointed bone, so poetic licence! Particularly liked 'Labouring body lumbers' alliteration.
and in the last lines, maybe echoing the difference with rainforest logging which sometimes seems essential at present to those scratching a living from it.
Rhiannon
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Hi Frances.
Hi Frances.
Thanks for the explanation - that was really interesting. Read your poem again and still like it very much.
Bee x
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