Red in tooth and claw
by cricketjeff on May 13, 2009. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
A tiny deer so beautiful to see,
Just weened perhaps with everything to learn.
She must have left her mother recently,
Without an older beast to show concern.
No sentiment will see this deed deferred,
With silent steps she closes on her prey.
The fawn is browsing too far from the herd;
The lioness has cubs to feed today.
Survival of the fittest is the test
That evolution sets for all to take.
If nature seems to sacrifice the best
We have no right to call it a mistake.
When you’ve a puma playing in the yard
To love a killer doesn’t seem too hard.
Author notes
Shakespearean sonnet, iambic pentameter rhymed abab cdcd efef gg with a volta
(change of mood) around line 9.
English