The death of an eland by Henry Barlow

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The death of an eland

Those eyes!
Those liquid green eyes
Tearless yet crying
Terrified and silent
Imploring for mercy
Those eyes haunt me.

We stood and looked at her
Emaciated with hunger and pain
Lying on her side, with the festering leg
Dripping with pus, held in the air
Trying in vain to heave herself up with her other legs.

Those eyes!
The terrified liquid eyes
Fervently transmitted pleas for mercy
And the body shook with terror and pain.
The emaciated legs kicked feebly
Trying to get her up
Where she had tripped and fallen.
There were ticks on her belly
Some were fat and bluish green
And there were numerous small brown ones.
The eyes begged!
Those haunting eyes.

The hunter said in a matter of fact way
It is kinder to shoot her
And raised his gun.
There was a kick and a feeble neigh
The body relaxed; the neck fell back. 

The eyes looked at me
Still pleading
As if the hunter had not been merciful
And I stood there
Feeling foolish.
I noticed the ticks -
Still sucking.
I walked away
With liquid eyes
And followed the hunter.

— Christopher Henry Muwanga Barlow

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