Dark Prince

South American Jungle:
High up in the trees
Drip…Drip
Blood falls through
The canopy of leaves
Legs of a carcass hang
Draped across a limb
Half-eaten, drawing flies
A few brave scavengers
Move in

Silent death roams the underbrush
Padded paws with razor claws
And all the jungle world
Is HUSHED…
While the killer comes round
And near
One hundred and eighty pounds of cat
This is his fourth year

The calf belonged to
An Argentine farmer
They invaded his territory
Now he becomes
The hunted
He fished this morning
But it left his belly empty
The rivers are overrun
With two-legged enemy

Solid black beauty
Sleek, efficient, calculated
He haunts the riverbank
And hunts the alligator
He also hunts
Orinoco deer
This was his domain
Till farmers settled here

He is one of but a splendid few
Destined to die
At the hand of mankind
The great jaguar prince
Has met his match
At the clearing fence
And the roofing thatch
Meanwhile his jungle
Burns away
And as the rain forest dies
He knows behind those
Silent golden eyes
Someday soon
He too must go that way