Julie A. Dickson, Exeter, New Hampshire, USA
An elephant calf stood whining by the still body,
de-tusked, maimed face unrecognizable,
distant hum of the chainsaw would not deter
her perseverance, hope un-dissuaded, trunk
caressing, trying to rouse sleeping mother;
pushing against her empty breasts, as much for
comfort as to quiet her aching belly.
Julie A. Dickson is a poet, lover of books, feral cats and advocate for captive elephants. Her books, A World without Ivory, Bullied into Silence and others are on Amazon. Dickson's poems appear in Ekphrastic Review, Misfit, Sledgehammer, etc. A Pushcart nominee, coordinator of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, she has also served on two poetry boards.