The mother rhinoceros in the zoo
Finally gave birth like they wanted her to
He was happy and healthy or so they thought
But at Mother’s rejection they became distraught
They nursed baby rhino and gave him a name
Patrons of the zoo adored him with fame
His first med exam revealed an anomaly
It seems he was born with a terminal proclivity
The staff had ignored what Mother knew
The day he was born, it would not behoove
Her to suckle, care for, attach to, or bind
With a babe unable to keep close behind
Or lead out front, at the ready
To fight, with mother, hard and steady
As baby rhinos are wired to do
Not hover helpless in a zoo
Rhino’s are not meant for fencing or caging
Mother had not adjusted to human engaging
Nor their interference with nature’s sequence
And its inborn patterns of behavior relentless
© May 2012
