Shakti the Elephant

Between the foliage and the speckled spiders, Between the tree trunk and the tree, Lived a beautiful woodpecker, And a tiny bumblebee.   The bumblebee  had a best friend. His name was Shakti. Shakti was a baby elephant, sprightly and free. He loved foliage, roots, leaves, shoots and the bark of the banana tree.   The woodpecker was friends with both of them Shakti and the bee, The elephant, the woodpecker and the bumblebee, Made a merry group of three. [On a bright morning, Shakti went about his day as usual. He was carrying logs, rice grains and everything else his friend Ravi had asked him to carry. In return, he received a pat on his back. He knew he would be treated to a hearty meal of bananas later.] As Shakti approached the riverbank, Three men began to flee One man was in a camouflage The same colour as the bark Of his beloved banana tree. Shakti caught on easily They were after his ivory With blunt force they cut his tendons, and then his trunk The blood in his body emptied out, fiercely.   In that fleeting moment Shakti knew That his dreams would remain a fantasy He would never become the leader of his pack That would never be his reality.   In the morning, his best friends found him Spread eagled, near the bark of his favourite tree But the poachers who had killed him Could not retrieve his ivory.   Shakti plunged his teeth deep into the soil While writhing in agony The poachers did not get Their coveted ivory.  

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