Prayers of the animals
 
lion
 
THE LION

I am the Lord of the forest and hill;
All of your creatures bow down to my will,
I prowl most at dusk in the eventide
As you, Lord walked in the cool of the night.
I do not brave the heat of the day
It is for lesser things; I just survey.
And when I am hungry and need to be fed
I send the misses to hunt, from out of her bed.
My great maned head and fierceness of mien
Are enough to stir wonder and fear in one's being.
 
elephant
 
THE ELEPHANT

Slowly I travel, but powerfully
And bulkily my footsteps precise;
My ears are large, but not awefully,
I live long before my demise.
Humbly my demeanour is and serenely:
Though bellowing at the top of my voice
Should I be vexed or crossed alarmingly
Daring to oppose me is your craziest choice.
 
fox
 
THE FOX

Lord, you gave me cunning and a devious heart,
A movement swift and a shyness too.
But, Lord, why did man devise that art
That hunts me gainst tremendous odds?
It were a cruel and nasty thing to do!
 
owl
 
THE OWL

My face is flat, my ears are keen,
My eye is sharp; they call me wise.
The woods provide a cover for my being,
There you mostly hear my cries
At night time; and if the night be clear
You might just see me floating by,
For this moment, people say, that I am feared.
But I am cunning; when I do espy
Some crafty morsel, bird, hare or mice,
Quick as lightning I am on the scene
And tear the thing up ravenously in a trice
Then return home, and look as though I'd never been.
 
giraffe
 
THE GIRAFFE

I am the most imperious of beasts;
From my great height I look down on
All smaller things and count them as the least
In my heavenly world.
I am unnavigable;
For see, my back is sloped and this fact brings
Great difficult unimaginable
To those who would play at kings.
I peer the clouds with insolent disdain,
And wonder, Lord, if you will send us rain.