<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">The Death Of An Elephant<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><i class="">a transformation</i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">She stood</div><div class="">apart from the grazing herd</div><div class="">motionless,</div><div class="">except for a slowed</div><div class="">curl of her trunk,</div><div class="">her head lowered,</div><div class="">her great ears flopped forward</div><div class="">like a closing umbrella</div><div class="">as the bull</div><div class="">came to sniff.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">When she dropped to her haunches,</div><div class="">the herd</div><div class="">screaming and trumpeting,</div><div class="">thundered,</div><div class="">a fallen half-moon </div><div class="">around her.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Her forelegs collapsed</div><div class="">and she slumped to her belly,</div><div class="">a Dagon come tumbling down.</div><div class="">Only the young ones</div><div class="">were allowed</div><div class="">to touch her now:</div><div class="">one laid his trunk on her back;</div><div class="">one nuzzled her ear;</div><div class="">one strained at her great fallen rump</div><div class="">as if pushing toward life</div><div class="">and learning of death.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Then the great bull,</div><div class="">head lowered,</div><div class="">tried to lift her with a roar.</div><div class="">He moved to her head and tried to lift her.</div><div class="">He tore a trunkful of dry grass</div><div class="">and stuffed it in her mouth</div><div class="">over the dust on her sagged lip</div><div class="">to lift her.</div><div class="">He tried to mount her into life.</div><div class="">she heaved to her side</div><div class="">and was dead.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It was sunset</div><div class="">late African spring</div><div class="">and December,</div><div class="">as a restless</div><div class="">feeding herd came</div><div class="">one by one to the gray body</div><div class="">and moved off</div><div class="">together over the ridge</div><div class="">into the dusk.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Gianfranco Pagnucci</div></body></html>