JUNGLE OF THE FERAL
By Luke Johnson
Beneath the vermillion sunset
A couple travels through the foliage
Their young child in the mother's arms
The thick jungle's voices reverberate
Birds chirp and monkeys howl
The number of their footsteps increases
Unknowing are they of their fate
Ruffians suddenly appear in front of them
They threaten them for monetary gain
The father calmly instructs his wife to flee
The wife flees to the south, away from them
The husband attempts to triumph
His attempts are in vain
The ruffians pursue the wife
The wife's legs miserably fail her
The ruffians flee from the scene
The woman lies dying
A pack of dholes discover her
The woman desperately reaches out
She wishes for her child to live
One of the dholes licks her outstretched hand
As though a gesture of reassurance
The dholes carry the baby into the foliage
The child's future is unknown