R.I.P. Another Cecil

Zimbabwe – last name on the list
Of Nations - harsh, dry and sun-kissed
Mecca of hunters and big game
Once had Rhodesia as its name.

(From Cecil Rhodes, a pioneer
Whose deeds the Old Queen did revere),
On major trade routes lies, through hills
Where 16 tongues mean thrills and spills!

Independent now, it stands alone
A savannah land where lions roam
With many dramatic natural features
A flight away from Southern beaches.

But politics aside, we read
A brand new tale of death and greed
Wilful hunter, careful tread
And Cecil, the noble lion, lies dead...

Shot, aged 13, on 1st July, 2015 by a dentist from Minnesota!

(c) Poet in the Woods 2015

Cyril the Lion