I am Ranger – poem by CJ Carrington

I am Ranger:

I am Ranger
hear me weep
as my charges
die at my feet
Poachers and butchers
and killers at night
take away our freedom
in a never-ending fight
Hunger and thirst
Rain and heat
all this we bear
never admitting defeat
My heart ripped from my chest
at the sight
of the rhino I knew best
Bleeding and torn
To pieces she’s hacked
for a centimeter of horn
Her baby’s screams never leave you
it tears into your soul
the bullet for mercy
is always too cold
Tears tend to fall as the sun sets
the darker it becomes
the more strained it gets
Will we see our precious babies
tomorrow again
or will they be found
as corpses and then
will I get shot at
Will I get killed or maimed
As I think this,
I feel deeply ashamed
I am a protector of all things wild
their innocence and helplessness
no different from that of a child
how can I fail them
how can I quit
few understand
fewer will admit
I will get up again
fight for them
for theirs is the world
who else would protect them
with word thought and deed
I shake it off and start patrolling
vigilant with every
life-threatening step of my feet
I am Ranger
and I bleed.