Sunday 25 October 2009

The king is dead, long live his cause.


It's with a lump in my throat that I write this blog post.
Adam died a couple of days ago, after fighting his malnutrition, his aches and his pains.
This news hit me harder than I ever expected it to. Maybe this is because I had spent a silent hour staring at this king of beasts, through the bars of his prison as he lay weak. Maybe I had had a silent conversation with him, without the need of words. Just energy, and thoughts and feelings. At the news of his death, I found myself nearly immediately tearing up, and immediately wanting it to be a lie. A mistake. Something dark and dismal that slipped someone's twisted imagination, only to be unravelled by reality.

I like to think that he found the love he had wanted to feel from the many that had become concerned with his well-being in the last month, after living two years in a caged hell desperately hoping it was out there, this love he sought.

I like to think it was with a sigh of relief and tranquility that his last breath left his body, as he lay in the sanctuary of the Lebanese mountains, a cool breeze caressing his young mane.

I like to think that he'll be buried here, that he will be our mountain king. The patron saint of lost causes. And I like to think we'll honour his cause, when we find ourselves faced with another one.

I like to think, somewhere in Africa, a pride of strong healthy lions is looking up towards the Savannah sky at a new star roaring its light down, protecting them from the malice of mankind.

As Tom Waits so rightly sings in 'Misery is the River of the World', "The one thing you can say about Mankind; there's nothing 'Kind' about Man."

4 comments:

Stana said...

I'm alws left speechless after reading ur blog (which I happened upon thru BETA group), u have the gift of writing and of telling things how they are...great job :)

Alan said...

I would suggest they cut up the f***ing people who did this and literally feed them to the lions, but i'd be afraid they'd make the lions sick in their stomach...

How can ANY person believe that this was ok to do? For money?! Shame on you!

Lebanon's laws need a complete revamp to protect ANIMALS instead of these 'hayawenet', God knows they've already lost any sense of morality, value and self-respect.

Note to 13brokenpencils: Nice blog, keep it up!

Note to BETA: Good luck...God knows you needs it!

Unknown said...

I love what you write, INDEED YOU HAVE THE GIFT! As for Adam, I hope he is in a better place... and like you, it has hit me harder than I thought...I specially love your closing statement, so thank you!

Blogging Stamps ! said...

in a sense, Adam died a long time ago.. he died when he was born, captured into what seems to be an Aban-an-jid situation.

But aren't we all Adam now?