by Douglas Lanzo
Copyright 2026

In memory of the scores of endangered painted dogs
who have succumbed to illegal poacher snares
in the African savannah

First published in Literary Yard (April 26, 2026 Issue)

She is free and lithe,
and full of life,
playing between forays;
on savannah rich
with wildlife,
colored by painted sprays —
cast by ochre coats
bristling with hues
blending into the day…
until her leg jerks
back forcibly,
wrapped in a coil of steel —
from a poacher set
for antelope,
in hopes of bushmeat meals,
without scant thought for
the painted dog
whose fate his cable seals.

Her most loyal pack
tries chewing through
the steel-cable wire,
slashing through their gums
bloodied in pain
that burn like wildfire.
They desperately feed
their matriarch
despite conditions dire —
nearly starving pups
“lucky” enough
to avoid nearby snares,
leaving their mother
only after —
her eyes give them death stares.

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