The Sighted Men and the Blind Elephant

17 April 2013

One elephant--
fresh from the womb,
stands small
before six gentleman, tall
--as the fence beyond
and thinks itself the largest animal in the pen
then

extends its trunk--
and, with an icy touch
much
like that from father to son,
brushes
each man's belt,

equipped with sharpened
knives.

And it believes these
to be the nails,
each leaving behind a clean
line, red
and the elephant is fed its
own fluids, through the nostrils
or, so believes it, the eyeballs.

But Man can
unlock the
fence, the
mother elephant says--
and says baby,--
I would rather
live
behind bars.

Reviews

[Delmar Cooper]

There is the story of George Burns and the avocado pit. And the story of the dominion of man over the amimals. Blasphemous error to suggest an error. But, it is suggested.