ROAR IN THE CITY

ROAR IN THE CITY

by Mandar Kolhapure

You live in the city,

I live in the jungle

We both think we are witty,

There is no way we both can mingle.

I was the king of the forest

Played with mom, used trees to rest

But one day you humans came,

And that day is still a photo frame.

As you came, I fled to my den,

But you humans still found me,

And drag me out of my forest lane.

You took me to the wild life sanctuary

As if I am your father’s property.

Some admire my skin, some compliment my eyes,

Some awestruck by my size

But let me sleep and rest folks,

I am least interested in you guys.

Some throw bottles, some throw stone,

I wish I could get up and smash each of your bone

You beat me and call it training

Teach me how to live in a habitat

I was never meant to live in.

Using sticks and rods, you call it training,

I wish I could tell you,

My each nerve inside is sadly mourning.

You cut my forest, make it a city

Woods become concrete,

Bushes turn to mighty street.

I am all alone and nothing to eat

All I find now is the human meat.

Starving and hungry, I eat the human in front

What to do, my nature is to kill and hunt.

Just as the birds are made to fly,

I am made to hunt, but when I do so,

You suddenly begin to cry.

You call me insane, shoot me in my head

You take pictures, whatsapp and make it spread.

You tear my skin and burn my body,

Later shed tears and tell my tale to everybody.

Humans kill children; rape women for lust,

The culprits are freed and punished never,

I kill for my stomach, I kill to survive,

But shot bullets, to close my eyes forever.

Stop counting our remaining number,

Chanting save the tiger, save the tiger

When I could have really been saved

You plan to kill me and call the sniper.

You will keep boasting the tiger is no more,

But also will crave to hear my another roar.

You humans will now say Rest in Peace,

But what you know, we tigers are about to cease.

Our species are on the verge of extinct

The dinosaurs story itself enact,

We too will remain only in the books,

Unless you humans will get up and quickly act