Beyond Danger
They’ve been left in the rocky desert,
trafficked for their young usefulness,
used to the point of uselessness,
turned into examples, then abandoned.
A sense of mercy would have lain them
with respect, instead of shouldered
and thrown to become leathered bones.
Stolen lives, taken by money and lies,
now valued only by their grievers.
(after the 2019 photograph, “Endangered 8,” by Tamara Dean)
2 thoughts on "Beyond Danger"
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Damn. This is heavy. A too true, and tragic reality. Wish it didn’t have to be written, but thank you for sharing nonetheless.
This one took a few days to get my head around. I wish I hadn’t. The inspiring image chills me.