Poetry – So Much More

So Much More

An elephant is more

                Than a stack of notes.

A rhino is more

                Than a sum of money.

They are things of beauty, wonder and awe

To marvel at.

The result of three billion years of evolution.

A gorilla is more

                Than a piece of meat.

A lion is more

                Than a trophy on a wall.

They deserve the chance to live

To be marvelled at.

For us to be moved by the product of three billion years.

And we deserve to live

To appreciate them

In the wild.

For they are all so much more.

Opher – 2.5.2019

We hold all the natural wonders of life so cheap. We kill them so thoughtlessly. Yet to see them is such a privilege.

It took three billion years to create them. It is taking us a couple of hundred years to destroy them.

I’d like my grandchildren to experience the fluttering of the heart, the rush of adrenaline and sheer excitement of seeing all these beautiful creatures in their natural surroundings – not just behind bars in a zoo – or in a case in a museum.