Law of the Woods

By Sanjay Kapur 

My tears won’t stop as I watch these clips
Of animal-kills, not monkey tricks
A zebra foal in a lion’s jaws
Its mum imploring, but to no cause                

A mama gazelle felled on the road
Two lions tear out her womb
The drooling cats shred her unborn
She sits silent as they rend her fawn

The ruthless laws of the woods
Need tweaking for holistic good
Humaneness should be the refrain
Spare the voiceless from needless pain

Laws must change as the world matures
The Universe can, and should assure
The end be painless for helpless prey
Rejig the law of the woods without delay
Rejig the law of the woods, we pray