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elephant poems
bumpily bumpily
to the place
of the elephants
we, in our
hats, sunglasses, hang on
in diesel
whiff cooee
bright birds
dot the way
forget their
names
still call
here at last they come
push pull graze bathe
splash it on
there’s nothing like mud on such a day!
with metronome tail
bronze about ears
the fly flap swagger
appendage everywhere animate
still always seem to be yawning
here’s a
little dance
with twirling action
paw forth
shake sand from
a fling and grass whimsy
skin for a map
so many seasons inscribed there
some get
up sit down
whiskery round jowl
nipple tug too
some hide in the thorns for shade
watch the young learn twirl!
see a baby sucks its trunk!
later in life a trunk to tail tickle
and nuzzle up
sly sidle
the elephant sex show is now offstage
boys are beaten out of the herd for lewd thoughts
they still will do what an elephant must
it can be a hard grind
and it’s true there are lesbian elephant loves!
Dr Google tells me so
Tilly and Mae Khan Puan for example
and you can look them up
Queen Victoria never noticed
she had a fixation on Albert’s fine trunk
though she had terrible period pain
for which she smoked dope
to limit the funk
the slow stampede of the baby orphans
mini-tuskers on parade
legs crossed coyly
knot together
trunk to tail and trumpet too
as if they had to go
they cast aside container
when have at
hari hari
the least the fluffiest
and see the ribs
some spray the grain
and some are known to dribble
will leaf through cornpile
consider the beautiful tails of the young
yet innocent of tussle
they are all old grumpy men
are bums to us
and gone
you can do a lot with a trunk
breakfast lunch dinner – meaningless terms
there’s no separation
trunk to maw is their superpower
the lift and curl Olympic
call it ‘the elevator’
they scrape the bare earth almost clean
cannot know their strength
would strip the willow half a chance
make short work of a forest
it was cruel
to make them torture and kill
to take the kiddies for a ride
the ivory trade
those piano keys
dominoes, false teeth, the blessed virgin
the bull leaper from the palace of Knossos
have we yet made amends?
elephants follow me into my dream
there are some elephants upstairs here
you can hear them thump about
they in the humorous undersize garments
cartoon kind
in elephant dresses and elephant pants
a certain flamboyance can’t be learned
elephants must one day conquer the world
an insect cloud and they bequeath
a stink you’ll take with you
and here comes the elephant farrier
tuk tuk sized clippers
slow of lope
all appendage mobile
with grace …
tip of the tail ornamental
or lose it in a scrap
Ganesh for luck
mammoth and mastodon elsewhere we were
time was
the charge and caution to the wind
you must never never forget –
do not disturb my bath!
