Dignity
Gentle and sweet in nature
Well-meaning and
non-judgemental always
Loving
They are basic
Just like their ancestors
Following their most primal instincts
Simple
Blind to jealousy
Hatred and trickery
Are nonexistent in the wild
Kind-hearted
The only games they play
Are cat and mouse
Behaving for the treat
Instinctual
We must protect them
Those that can’t
protect themselves
Defenseless
Lives ended by speeding vehicles
Boxes on the side of the road
Left starving in alleyways
Careless
Overcrowded at shelters
Abused and terrified
Distrustful of humans
Abandoned
Hunted for their horns
Stalked for their pelts
All that is unique and lovely
Endangered
Trapped in man-made prisons
For our amusement
Kidnapped from their natural homes
Lost
Habitats devastated by deforestation
The actions of mankind
Ruin and end their lives
Forgotten
We have stolen their rights
Treated them like our property
We must correct our point of view
Arrogant
Like dirt swept under the rug
We ignore their crisis
But we are responsible
Guilty
We poisoned them with our chemicals
Treated them like lab rats
Please humble us from playing
God
We have failed them
We must do better
We must treat them with
Dignity
By Sophie Matarrese