The Homeless Orang-utan

• Natalie Maiolo, Grade 9
• Poetry
• 2019

Her sunlit hair dances through the wind
Like a queen ruling over her kingdom,
She frolicks freely in the foliage,
Unaware of the danger that mankind brings.

She hears a thunderous growling,
As swings through the palms.
Only to see the metal monster move,
And watch the first trunk fall.

She watches with hopelessness in her amber eyes,
As what was once her virescent domain is turned into irreversible desolation.
Her infant clings to her matted fur,
While the pieces of lumbar crash into the soil.

Miss Mignonette sits on a branch,
Her orang-utan friends come to greet her,
Their hooting giving her hope,
But nothing can ever bring back her beautiful empire.