W/C 11/8

Tell me, said the elephant,
Why we do these things we do,
Why you cage us in these pastures,
Or lock us in your zoos,
Make us dance 'fore the tourists,
Take them for a ride,
When our hearts remember freedoms,
You've stolen all our pride.

So tell me, said the elephant,
Do you hear our mother's call,
When you make us haul your lumber,
Until the day we fall,
Until we cannot rise again,
In the forest dense,
Why you treat so cruelly,
Makes so little sense.

Yes tell me, said the elephant,
What you hope to gain,
You steal our tusks for trinkets,
No matter what the pain,
You cause with your bullets,
Ankus or your knife,
Tell me what's worth more to you,
Your profit, or my life.

Prompt: ▼

Use the first lyric line of The Elephant's song - by Kamahl as your title: Tell me, said the Elephant...

The story or poem you are writing should be different from the song text - I am curious what the Elephant would want you to write