A little rabbit sitting
In the middle of the lawn
Not moving rapidly away
As I approached to look
Something not right
That was plain to see
Eyes so cloudy
Heart beating so rapidly
Mixamatosis I thought
What shall I do?
Out of its misery needed
But did it need to be me?
In the past I’ve taken action
A rabbit, a cat, a small roo
Bodies broken writhing in pain
Nobody else there able to do
But this time a vet was near
The little bundle in my arms
So difficult to deal with summarily
When the need not so urgent
I know these animals are pests
Not compatible with the land
But easier to consider this
When not personally involved
All I could see was a little one
Alone and so afraid
Nestling into my arms
Comforted by my warmth
There is a message here for all
The unwanted group easy to disdain
The suffering individual harder to ignore
When heartstrings gently tugged
No option but to take a life
Humanely by a caring professional
How many slaughtered in other ways
By the uncaring including me
In the distant past I sickened myself
By the bloodlust that I felt
Shooting many more than needed
Eschewing forevermore that desire
Never again I touched a gun
Fearing that monster lurking within
That rationalised such wanton killing
Ignoring the power inherent
I wonder also about the term ‘pest’
Meaning a creature or plant
Plucked from the environment dependent
Transplanted in a faroff place
Can’t this term be equally applied
To humanity ever expanding
Disassembling the natural order
Forever more consumption demanding
Will a force present itself
That weeds out the excesses shown
As mankind tumbles out of control
Our numbers incessantly growing
And again I have to admit
That to this I’ve also contributed
Breeding to meet personal wants
Without considering consequences
My offspring have not been so wanton
With growth of financial pressures
And I suspect this is what it takes
To ensure more positive directions
But also we need more conscious choices
About societal and environmental limitations
Lest we see ongoing impoverishment
Of our environment and our nations
10/6/2020
Brian’s Reflections 