The Cheetahs And The Ostriches.. Dr Yogendra Arya

 

Somewhere deep in African grasslands,
Life is  throbbing with  natural pace,
A magical everyday drama unfolding,
At the break of a foggy drawsy dawn,
The three Cheetah brothers are hungry,
Haven't eaten anything for four days,
Dull and passive the eldest looks around,
Long necks of Giraffes are visible,
But too far and too many are they,
Suddenly behind the thorny bushes,
A fully grown couple of Ostrich grazing,
Lost in eating fresh grass sprouts,
The eldest cheetah brother shows,
His cleavers and tosses the eyeballs,
Rest of the two nodding in affirmation,
Most cautious prowling stalking begins,
A picture perfect face spots and colours,
More astonishingly camouflaged move,
Ready for the double sized preys to hunt,
Male ostrich striking black wings white furr,
Recognizes the danger and signls  alarm,
The grey coloured female engrossed,
Gulping fresh leaves misses the frantic call,
Just a fraction of second and the Chase,
It's a high risk maneuver but great reward,
Nail biting, Pulse pounding and jaw dropping,
The male speeds up faster than the female,
Within fraction of a second the fatal attack,
The Big Brother pounces upon courageously,
The two follow sides like steaming engines,
The ostrich falls with a loud thud in dust,
Frantic kicking and fluttering all in vain,
The long neck is penetrated with canines,
The struggle ends with a gush of blood,
The Male ostrich  runs afar  and turns,
To see his partner losing the battle of Life,
Nature  teaches us  but very hard lessons,
The fastest Cheetahs and the biggest Ostriches,
It's always the one "Survival of the fittest"
©Dr Yogendra Arya
24.6.21 Pali,Rajasthan,India