Big Five Poem by Gordon D Wilkinson

I am mistress of all the land I survey
Hunger tells me its time to hunt today
My pride needs a kill to survive
We have been waiting here for the buffalo to arrive
One young calf will fill the bellies of all
Hark I hear another lioness call
It seems we have an intruder on our land
A leopard has encroached, was this planned?
Snarling and growling, we chase her off our patch
She had better not come back here, we are her match
Beginning our hunt, we spread out in a line
All our senses, scanning, tuned so fine
Moving forwards without barely a sound
The elephant matriarch bellowing, so profound
Our turn to intrude on nature’s heavyweight
We had better move on before it is too late
Her ears flapping, feet pounding as hard as can be
We can see she is as angry as a bee
Moving along we see our prey
Walking, grazing, and moving our way
My sisters on the flanks stealthily close the net
We are going see how close we can get
Suddenly the chase is on in haste, close to a river bank
As a rhino blunders through our line just like a tank
Twisting and turning on her run to escape
A young buffalo drops under lionesses teeth sank in her nape
Clouds of dust as the rhino dashes off
Making me inhaling this dust, cough
A meal is ready for the pride to consume
With so many around the carcass, there is little room
Bellies full at last with this one meal
And with the rhino now gone, so we won’t have to deal
It is time for some rest
Letting this meal digest
The wild dogs and hyenas have some bones and skin to ingest