Mustang Musings May 2020 | Page 8

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If not, she'll give you a slow and painful death, and you'd only wish you could die.

Now, from the south Summer swims up from the river. She splashes innocent animals in her wake, jumping out of the water in glee. She loves the water, which is good because as a dolphin is kind of required to. Summer is the most playful of them all, never taking anything seriously. She loves basking in the sun, and you can always find her with a sunburn on her back. While she hates sunburns, she puts up with it because she couldn't last a day without at least four hours of sitting in the sun. She loves water activities, and invites every animal she sees to come play with her, and of course they can't refuse her childish innocence. She's rarely sad, but when she is no animal can resist going to comfort her, feeling sad themselves. The sun and water are her two most favorite things in life, and she can never decide what she wants more so constantly there will be times where she's splashing everyone so much to share her enthusiasm we're practically drowning, and other times when we're invited to sunbath with her we are almost roasted alive.

All the seasons look at each other, silent. Then they all turn and leave, and the clearing is engulfed in a cacophony of noise as animals talk excitedly to each other and leave hurriedly so as not to be caught in the storm of animals later.

The glass raises to my weary lips, and the bubbles prickle at my throat as I drink . . .

The Death of the Country by Madilyn Frick

stung to touch, piercing their once untouched skin. Humanity was just beginning to leave its permanent mark.

The trees wilted in misery for they could no longer rule the lands as they pleased. The cows brayed their cries of dismay, for the green grass they once owned had been taken from them. The horses snorted in fury, they could no longer gallop free. The deer could no longer leap and bound, and all the panthers ran to a land far from being found.

The barbed wire promised death upon the land.

Then more humans came, this time in the belly of monsters. These were yellow monsters with great claws, and black bone crushing tires.

The claws felled the trees who once stood tall, centuries of growing gone in an instant. The rabbits fled in fear, as their homes caved in. The snakes slithered free, but had nowhere to run. Foxes and squirrels alike ran for cover, ignoring the fact that they were enemies.

A shiny black path now cuts through, the road makes way for the end of the wild.

A mourning dove wakes to the sound of a hammer. He wakes his mate and they both fly away, flying over the great machines. The bobcat watches, his eyes gleaming as the humans lay a layer of grey mud across his home. It was too late for his kits now.

Now the Eagle watches, he sees himself on the side of the yellow belly monster. He reads the sticker on the side that reads, "Save the Eagles!" He watches as this yellow bellied monster destroys his nest, crushing his eggs. He flies away, far away.

The first neighborhood has risen, there is no more room for the animals.

In confusion the coyotes ran around, they ran for the roads, they ran for the homes. Most of them never even get a chance for another home. The snake coiled in fear as the humans let out cries of fear whenever he was near. He didn't know what he had done wrong.

The cows no longer run free, now they stand in metal holding pens at the mercy of their owners. Most were good, some however were far from it. The horses no longer ran free, finding companionship with the humans, they weren't too upset.

The ducks remembered a time when they had miles and miles of ponds, now they had tiny, dirty little puddles. Their feathers were heavy with oil and soot.

"So much for wildlife preservation," the hog thought as he sat among her four pitiful trees. He watched the trapper man come closer and closer, net ready for capture.

The dove listened to the women scream, "Use solar, save the planet!" Unfortunately this was the last thing he heard before he was blinded by light, crashing to the Earth. One of his white primary feathers drifted through the wind, landing beside the women's shoe.

She stepped on the feather, and now it lays mangled, a testament to how much she cares.

Now the lands are no longer free, the skies are no longer safe. The animals don't even remember what or who they used to be. The yellow bellied monsters chop and chop. They destroy and mangle.

The death of the country begins with a single strand of barbed wire.

They came in mighty droves, mightier than the great herds of cattle that once stormed across the land. The droves came, and they came without mercy, ravaging the lands and destroying freedom.

Thin cords of shiny steel cut across the lands, the animals learned to fear these strands. They stung to touch, piercing their once untouched skin. Humanity was just beginning to leave its permanent mark.

The trees wilted in misery for they could no longer rule the lands as they pleased. The cows brayed their cries of dismay, for the green grass they once owned had been taken from them. The horses snorted in fury, they could no longer gallop free. The deer could no longer leap and bound, and all the panthers ran to a land far from being found.

The barbed wire promised death upon the land.

Then more humans came, this time in the belly of monsters. These were yellow monsters with great claws, and black bone crushing tires.

The claws felled the trees who once stood tall, centuries of growing gone in an instant. The rabbits fled in fear, as their homes caved in. The snakes slithered free, but had nowhere to run. Foxes and squirrels alike ran for cover, ignoring the fact that they were enemies.

A shiny black path now cuts through, the road makes way for the end of the wild.

A mourning dove wakes to the sound of a hammer. He wakes his mate and they both fly away, flying over the great machines. The bobcat watches, his eyes gleaming as the humans lay a layer of grey mud across his home. It was too late for his kits now.

Now the Eagle watches, he sees himself on the side of the yellow belly monster. He reads the sticker on the side that reads, "Save the Eagles!" He watches as this yellow bellied monster destroys his nest, crushing his eggs. He flies away, far away.

The first neighborhood has risen, there is no more room for the animals.

In confusion the coyotes ran around, they ran for the roads, they ran for the homes. Most of them never even get a chance for another home. The snake coiled in fear as the humans let out cries of fear whenever he was near. He didn't know what he had done wrong.

The cows no longer run free, now they stand in metal holding pens at the mercy of their owners. Most were good, some however were far from it. The horses no longer ran free, finding companionship with the humans, they weren't too upset.

The ducks remembered a time when they had miles and miles of ponds, now they had tiny, dirty little puddles. Their feathers were heavy with oil and soot.

"So much for wildlife preservation," the hog thought as he sat among her four pitiful trees. He watched the trapper man come closer and closer, net ready for capture.

The dove listened to the women scream, "Use solar, save the planet!" Unfortunately this was the last thing he heard before he was blinded by light, crashing to the Earth. One of his white primary feathers drifted through the wind, landing beside the women's shoe.

She stepped on the feather, and now it lays mangled, a testament to how much she cares.

Now the lands are no longer free, the skies are no longer safe. The animals don't even remember what or who they used to be. The yellow bellied monsters chop and chop. They destroy and mangle.

The death of the country begins with a single strand of barbed wire.