A Stolen Life; Cougar

With stealth and speed, she stalks her prey,
Knowing full well, a deer will fall today.
This is the way of the wild, and she must feed her young,
She crouches; waiting, already tasting the blood on her tongue.

But she feels the ground vibrate, then far off she hears them howl
Sensing a threat, food is forgotten, she is running as fast as her feet allow
Suddenly they're upon her, and instincts take her into a tree
She realizes too late, that this was the wrong way to flee

She screams out one last time, a cry of despair
Why doesn't this 2-legged-being understand, or care?
High up in the tree, she's waiting with bated breath
Will they leave her be, or will she be shot to her death?

You could have heard it for miles, the shot that rang out
It was loud and it was quick, but that's not all it was about
A heart no longer pumped, 2 eyes no longer saw
In the moments of her death, you could have felt her soul withdraw

A mother who, just minutes ago, stood so proud and tall
Has been killed by a violent creature, and taken her final fall
The animal kingdom falls silent, and for another lost, they cry,
They wonder what will stop this Being, how many have to die?

They say there is no harm done, they only killed one
But for the cubs waiting for their mothers return, their fate is sealed and done
You've killed three with one shot, are you proud of your violence?
You've caused pain and suffering and for 3, eternal silence.

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I have a strong love for Cougars, and in fact have a mother with cubs that live around my house, who have crossed along my property. They are so misunderstood, it is very sad. I wrote this yesterday(September 16th, 2008) after finding the tracks of the mother and cubs while riding my horse behind our land.
They're beautiful elusive creatures that should not be being hunted and carelessly killed so often