NATURE Poem: My Elephant Tears, by Maxine Romano

my elephant tears
the word pet- petty
small and inconsequential
you were anything but minor, small-minded
a meaningful counterpart, forever friend
Four-legged furry, gift of purpose

sassy, spunky spitfire
Huntress of Elysian
frightened by nothing, coyote taunter
My faithful protector
A bond beyond price, you medicated my soul wound
your memories weigh in elephant tears

It cannot be better said than Anatole France,
“Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
my wise elder, routine holder
Fast forward – weeks of fractured patterns
My Silent Eulogy: A Vanishing World

lifeless home, brooding solitary
surrogate daughter of a childless couple
devoid of reminders for play and mindfulness
Now -I must be retrained
Extraneous to others -estranged ambition
the elephant weeps

Even the Savana mourns with me,
a herd bound by shared ache
the loss of the legendary lion chaser
tears archive the moments shared,
heavy as the love that anchors my heart
you are etched in my memory, in my elephant tears.