Banda and Tao two brothers

We come upon two brothers
2 years old they be
The Okavango delta
In wild Botswana we
Realise the Okavango river
It is where
A great tectonic plate appears
In a basis
they all share

In the Endoheic basin
Of the kalahari they
Under some fantastic skies
Are coming through each day
Learning from the females
Who hunt and catch the food
A place to learn their hunting skills
And their fortitude

The kind of food they are after
Are the Buffalo so strong
Five times the weight of a Lioness
So no one can get it wrong
A young calf or an old bull
Is what they are looking for
And the ambush must be well timed
For the whole thing to be sure

It is about good judgement
Because the Buffalo they too
Protect each other when they can
With kinship good and true
They fight back and they are massive
Powerful to a tee
Very bold and spirited
With a lot of energy

The lions must work in tandem
One to strangle they
Must watch the horns and watch the hooves
And get out of the way
They have to try and get the Buffalo down
And on its back
and stop it calling others
To mount a group attack

Two squeeze the life out of the soul
And the Buffalo has gone
And now the family can set to work
There’s a lot of meat upon
Enough for six lions anyway
The two brothers learn to bond
Different personalities
But clearly very fond
Of each other that’s for certain
And needs be after all
There has to be a clarity
And an overriding rule

Of protection and security
For childhood doesn’t last
And a lionesses with two juveniles
Really their die was cast
When a male lions me to conquer
And ran the brothers free
They had to get out while they could
Up against adversity

lions are territorial
And females do belong
To the ones providing protection
The one that’s very strong
There is no place for other males
It’s a harem after all
And if you are a juvenile
You must run that’s the call

So the brother found themselves
Alone
They had to get away
And they had to stick together
Their insurance so to say
With tails between their legs
A low profile was to be
Had as they got stronger
And more versed accordingly

They got to know each other well
Hunting where they could
They made a lot of errors
You’d Imagine that they would
But they were getting stronger
And realising they
Would have to track and ambush
Smaller prey along the way

They had the strength of the two of them
And therefore good support
And of course they were blood brothers
Capable of thought
Sensing each other weaknesses
And strengths along the way
And becoming better hunters
Really by the day

Skirting around the territories
Of other prides sometimes
Can get one into trouble
With females
Danger climbs to its highest note
If they encounter one and she
Is after mating and gives that nod
But her owner happens to be

Ready to fight over her
With all the power and fright
Which did happen to Banda
He was three Nd he saw the light
He took on this male lion
And with his brother at his side
Beat the King and ran him off
and they formed their own new pride

Now their manes were chocolate brown
And they had both learned a great deal
Both had mated with females
Both were feeling real
They were the joint kings of their pride
And Cubs were all about
Which really gave them a purpose
And left them in no doubt

Despite their earlier adversity
They had come good anyway
They were still together ruling
Every day
Their success was measure by the blood ties
And we see
They are as strong as they ever were
Part of symphony

For Africa a future a wildness after all
They had proved it possible
With not much of a school
They managed with togetherness
To still get through the strain
And organise a family
In which they all could gain