LOVE LIONS ALIVE by Andi Rive

 FROM MY CHAIR ON THE VERANDAH It is raining. The thunder has been declaring it's intention for a few hours now, but both myself and the animals out on the plain had given up believing the thunder. It has not rained sine the beginning of last month. But now it rains. I know because the herds of black wildebeests, impalas and giraffe begin running. I cannot hear the rain falling out here on the savannah under the thick thatch roof where I sit. It falls silently. The hills in the distance become mist grey. The many animals scatter and disappear. All except for two giraffes. Blakey, the almost white female and The Dark Bull.  She moves in a silent and graceful evasion. He mirrors her every move. Step for step, neck sway for neck sway. I am watching from beyond an unseen window, a scene inside its own quietly private veil. Wisps of water mist over me where I sit on the verandah. I remain in a separate dimension, unseen and uncomprehended, unimportant to the mating dancers. Now she sile

  This is an Abomination Rhinos are being slaughtered, butchered, murdered  It shines a light on the human condition. We (or at least the people I know), all know about Earth's spiral into ecological decay, we listen to blogs, social media posts, books, interviews and TV programmes telling of the horrors of poaching and the dire consequence for species such as rhino and lions which are barrelling towards extinction. We understand how critical the situation is and we detest what we see. We sign petitions, wave banners and we press the anger emoji response over and over again. We even cry on our significant other's shoulder. We live in a world in which wrong is wrong and a wake up call wakes you up.  We can not see, never mind understand, that for every one of us, there are 7 indifferent people, 3 scoffers and 1 killer.  Right at this very moment, as you read this, a rhino is being slaughtered. Last night whilst you cooked dinner a rhino was sliced up. This morning when you took