ELEPHANTINE

They walked the earth

When it was newly wrought

And walk it still – stately,

Majestic beasts

Ancient wisdom travelling

In herds

Herds where the males stomp

And charge

And carry on, but it’s

The aunties and the mamas

That control the group

Protect the young,

Keep the peace

Elephantine has many meanings

And some of them

Quite ugly—

Clumsy, unwieldy—

But really?

It just means elephant-like

In manner

Then the word sings,

Is melodic with its

Four syllables

And speaks of an

Abundance of

Large pachyderms

A great number

Of the magnificent

Ones that travel

In herds and honour

Their dead in graveyards

Almost human-like

Elephantine – it sounds

Like music.

S.E.Ingraham©