Elephant

An elephant never forgets

Elephants honor their dead

Returning to their gravesite for years

To stroke and mourn

The bones of their loved ones

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Elephants never forget

Warriors, they have been known

To hunt the single human who killed

Their mate or child

Leaving innocent humans alone

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Elephants never forget

One elephant

Retired to a preserve in Hawaii after

A lifetime in the circus

Spotted the trainer who abused him

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Breaking free

He beat the trainer to death

Then roamed the island for days

Using the man's body as a back scratcher

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Elephants can be artists

Several of them displaying

An aptitude for painting

Mostly landscapes

And other elephants

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However

Artist elephants are often alienated

Shunned

By the elephants who are not

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I am an elephant.