[Martin Elster]

Cape Hunting Dogs

Conspicuously mottled they are,
So they’re easily seen from afar.
***The Cape hunting dogs
***Hang out by the bogs.
They’re black, brown, and white—how bizarre!

Their spotting makes quite a hodgepodge
Of colors resembling collage.
***Each dog is unique,
***They look awfully chic—
Quite conspicuous—no camouflage!

An artist like Vincent van Gogh
Could have made a great painting, you know,
***Of a large pack of fifty,
***Their patterns so nifty,
The sun almost sets them aglow!

Maybe a painter like Pollock
Could have captured these dogs when they frolic,
***Which, when done all their life,
***Keeps them free of much strife
In a land that is fairly bucolic.

If you watch them, you’ll readily see
That family life is the key
***To getting along,
***For they know they belong
To the pack which, on grasslands, roams free.

The den that they make’s recreated
From burrows extant but vacated
***By some other life form
***And now is kept warm
By the Cape hunting dogs who have mated.

They give birth to a very large litter,
And then feed and take care of each critter.
***I refer to the young
***Who are cleaned with the tongue
Of their mother or her puppy-sitter.

The puppies get lots of attention
From adults in the pack, not to mention
***Being fed every day
***With the meat from the prey
The adults chase and hunt by convention.

When the grown-ups come back with the meat
They scramble and stumble, compete
***To play with and feed
***The puppies—indeed
They’ll trip over each other’s big feet!

When playing, they twitter and squeak,
And chatter like birds in a clique.
***When lost they go, “Hoo,
***I’m here. Where are you?”
And they bark, which means “Hark!” so to speak.

They hunt for their food by their wit,
For a zebra that’s young or unfit.
***Up to two days they’ll trot
***On savannas, quite hot,
After prey—these strong dogs rarely quit.

To prepare for a hunt they will nuzzle
And lick one another’s broad muzzle.
***They get very excited
***When zebras are sighted.
(To me that’s not much of a puzzle.)

While moving around a large herd
The Cape hunting dogs, self-assured,
***Will stealthily slink
***So slow they don’t blink,
While observing their prey (take my word).

When they spot a large beast that looks “right”
They’ll sprint towards that zebra and bite.
***Disemboweling’s their plan;
***They’ll bite off what they can.
With tails wagging, the poor beast they’ll smite.

They’ll bring back lots of meat which they’ll share
With the young and the old—that’s just fair,
***Then frolic and play
***For the rest of the day.
As for zebras tomorrow? BEWARE!

— Martin Elster