In September 2022 I had the immense privelege of feeding and walking with elephants in South Africa. I also saw them in the wild on safari. Their power and beauty close up was extraordinary.
The elephant I walked with was called Sally and she was the matriarch of the group. While I was there my Auntie Christine passed away, following on from the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
This made me think of our own matriarchs and how their leadership and influence is underestimated.
The Old One
The sun beat on her mud-baked back.
With languid swish of tail she paused
as others padded on towards the pool
where winding trunks would suck and squirt
fresh mud applied and thirsty mouths
could drink. She watched them dimly
through her ancient eyes, daughters
and their daughters. Sons somewhere
gently treading through the fecund bush
with small ones of their own. A long
and quiet life, each heavy step
landing on her wrinkled, cushioned feet.
She flapped her ears, listened to the birds
and lifted up her trunk towards the sky.
For one last time she sensed familiar scents
before she turned her wise and giant head
and pushed her way into the waiting bush.
Tim Fellows September 2022
