I don’t know a huge amount about rocs, other than that they’re enormous birds that carry off elephants and other large animals. I couldn’t help wondering how the population decline of various species would affect them.
Many thousands of miles have I flown
I am tired, but I cannot stop hunting
I must fly, seeking food for my chicks,
Each one growing so fast. They are hungry.
Though my wings start to ache as they flap
And I find that the wind cannot lift me.
I must find something soon. I must eat,
And then bring something back for my children.
But the elephants, where have they gone?
And the buffalo, I cannot find them.
I have flown to the place where I saw
Many thousands, but now, next to nothing.
All the food that once nourished my kind
Is so scarce now: I don’t understand it.
But these creatures which chatter and walk
On two legs. They are plentiful. Maybe
It is time for a change. They are small:
It will take a great many to feed us:
For my children and I, we are hungry.
But they’re everywhere. This will be easy.
For these creatures, they do not run fast.
We must change if we wish to survive this.
We will eat what we find. We’ll adapt.
It’s survival, you see, of the fittest.
Tom Juniper Poetry 