The Elephants
A row of five cast-iron elephants
joined by trunks and tails, but detachable.
Each smaller than the one before, they dangle,
and sway like a snake’s tapering tail in grass.
Black-brown earth-colour with copper
highlights in the stylized ears- three stripes
each. A plaything for grandchildren.
A reminder of the vast and varied world.
My daughter brought them back
from Thailand on her first trip on her own.
She said they’re used to portion out
illegal drugs. Elephants live in families,
stay connected, love deeply, hold on
with tails with trunks. I hold on with a heart
that dangles, sways, comes apart,
then reassembles at her safe return.
• • •
Carol Casey lives in Blyth, Ontario, Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared in The Prairie Journal,The Anti-Langourous Project, Please See Me, Front Porch Review, Cypress, Vita Brevis, Blue Unicorn, Three Line Poems and others, including a number of anthologies, most recently, Rearing in the Rearview (Quillkeepers) and Byline Legacies (Cardigan Press). Facebook: @ccaseypoetry; Twitter: @ccasey_carol; Webpage: https://learnforlifepotential.com/home-2/poetry/