My Secret Life

I have a dream often that I am a baby African forest elephant, I keep it a secret, and in my dreams I roam dripping rain forests; I was born at dawn near a wild stream cascading over rocks, the first sounds I heard were birds chattering in the trees, loudly. It was quite a shock falling to the ground like that and I was stunned, then, I felt something nudging me, and nudging me, get up, get up; so, on wobbly legs I stood up and looked up and up, wow she is tall, I've been following her around for days now, but still not sure of anything. Except, I know this huge beast is my mother, and she loves me, but what exactly am I, trying to do everything she does but I fall down a lot; I have these things that look like wings, maybe I can fly, nope can't fly, I have become quite clingy and not just to mother but all the others too. Whenever I wander off to explore they bring me back to them quickly, with a snort and flick of their long, long nose, hey, I have one of those; oh, if I wish I was like them, big, strong, intelligent, with a good memory, to find water along journeys taken before and our endless vegetarian food. But, I am just a baby still and have years to learn to be an elephant, in my secret dreams I swim in rivers brown with clay and walk miles and miles; in my Saharan African home, I think in my secret dream I will stay a little, a baby African forest elephant exploring . . . __________________________ January 19, 2019 Poetry/Personification/My Secret Life Copyright Protected, ID 19-1106-270-02 All Rights Reserved. Written under Pseudonym. Written for the contest, If I Had A Secret Life sponsor, Caren Krutsinger First Place