THE KILLING MACHINE

The maned one knows that his pride can bring down a Cape buffalo,
We are sisters and daughters -- lions constantly on the go,

We hunt by night, drowse all day, have a number of mouths to feed,
The King of beasts will dine before us, satisfying his need,

We have this night vision, you see, that makes for a terror-filled onslaught,
Those hapless creatures with night blindness will succumb despite being taught

To circle and keep their backs in the shelter and corral the young inside,
We mustn't forget the buffalo's horns, they can rupture our tawny hide,

Muff, Mittens, Yellow and Perky immobilize the prey, then we find
That Sandy goes for the throat and the windpipe, holding a longish time,

Forage all night, sleep all day, it's a workaday world where the cubs can play,
A carnivore's work is never done: hunt, hunt and hunt 'til the rains come our way.

                                                           by D. Edgar Murray