ANOTHER DREAM DEFERRED

At last the fabled blind men
solved the great grey puzzle in the zoo.
Eighty-one years it took
to fit the pieces - trunk, tusk, tail,
strength spirit, soul -
together.

And now the prison gates swing wide
releasing two bent bodies, two broken hearts,
and all the long-held dreams
of captive elephants.

What nightmares chained the lives of those
who lost their names and nature:
mid-aged Wanda,
Winky, filled with pain
Pauline the crowd-pleaser
Ruth, reluctant in the dance
Missy arthritis-bound?

What longing for their ancient home and kin,
the sun-drenched grass,
the cooling water-hole,
soft nights beneath the trees of Africa!

Go gently, noble friends to rest.
From far away have I looked
into your dulled and hopeless eyes.
To heal my own regretful heart
may your reproach turn one day to forgiveness.

Joan E. Tinkess
May, 2004.