The Kill Poem by Gert Strydom

Having eaten as much as they can
the male and two female lions
doze off in the afternoon heat
while the knee high yellow winter grass do rustle

as a small black-backed jackal sneaks nearer
and with big eyes somewhat wary
reconnoiters the scene
her face suddenly lighten up with a smile
as she walks right up to razor sharp ribs,
some entrails and bloody intestines
with her spiny back legs quivering
pulls out some pieces of lung
and silently wary start to eat.

In a fluttering aggressively angry crowd
some vultures and griffons do land
with their thin necks waving up and down,
bobbing along to with sharp beaks and claws
drive the jackal away.

© Gert Strydom