John Kaprielian
Pangolins
Pangolins curl into a ball
when they are threatened
we teach our children
to do the same in their
lock-down active-shooter drills
four times every school year
Pangolins curl into a ball
bony plates deter
tender predator palates
but not knives or guns
that make quick work of
their motionless prey
Our children curl into balls
behind locked doors
in closets and under desks
unmoving, silent, waiting
they don’t even have bony plates
they are all exposed underbelly
Pangolins are hunted mercilessly
heading toward extinction
Do we arm them? Teach them to run
instead of roll or do we
disarm the hunters and stop
the demand for pangolin meat?
These are important questions
to pangolins and children.
John Kaprielian is the author of 366 Poems: My Year in Verse” (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013) a collection of a year’s worth of writing one poem a day. His poetry is also featured in the anthology Live at the Freight House Cafe (John F. McMullen, 2018), edited by John F. McMullen. His poems have appeared in The Blue Mountain Review, The Blue Nib, The Five-Two Poetry Blog, Foliate Oak, Down in the Dirt Magazine, New Verse News, Naturewriting.com, and Minute Magazine. A natural history photo editor by day, he lives in Putnam County, NY, with his wife, teenage son, and assorted pets.
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