“Sita”

A matriarchal system
And a wildness of the heart
“sita” an asian elephant
Really from the start
Ended up in circus
No place for any souls
Be forced to travel here and there
And to take on all sorts of roles

Tragically she managed
To break her legs and she
Was forced then just to stand about
In what was agony
Stuck there by a temple
In the blazing sun
Neglected by all comers
And that was never fun

All that weight on damaged legs
Forces one to lean
To try and alleviate suffering
It is almost obscene
She just stood on one spot
With infected toes it shows
The limited help she got alas
Which now well yes she knows

27 different owners
And they all a waste a time
She must have really gone through hell
And there was no
rhyme
Or reason for this neglect
Anyone could see
That Sita she was suffering
In pain constantly

When one’s maneuverability
Is poor then what we see
Is often they stay in one place
And its not a place to be
It never was a better life
More angst for her i am sure
And age caused her to drop weight
And apparently she was sore

Her food was never regular
And that really is a pain
When you are suffering on your own
There is nothing to gain
With routine being broken
Its what you depend on
And if well you go crazy
Then life is kind of gone

Poor Sita harking back
To times gone by when she was wild
Trying through such times in fact
To get it reconciled
She came by animAl ambulance
The first one of its kind
So that was rather special for her
And might have blown her mind

In the sanctuary she met Miya
Someone she had known
Before in the circus
So was not to be alone
It was lovely to see Miya
And to reminisce
For elepgnats have long memories
And can recall some bliss

Meeting up again with Miya
Clearly has been good
But they cannot stay together
In one pen
For sita would
Lean on Miya and that wouldnt be
A good idea
And so they stay in seperate pens
But chat a bit and thats clear

Its good to see the elephants
Getting a better deal
And meeting up with volunteers
Who care and who are real
Who spend time and are patient
And kindly which is why
This poem is for SIta
Who can and will rely

On a better life entirely
Than the long years from before
Neglect is really terrible
And hearts become so sore
But gradually the memories
Will fade a bit as they
Get down to living in the now
Yes living for each day

Written especially for Dear Sita and Miya
And the charming and caring Charman Rose