Did The Elephant Fly Or The Rhino Lay Eggs? Poem by Dr. Ahmed Gumaa Siddiek

I feel sad as sadness could be
Cause I'm afraid that one day;
I may not be able to say;
To my grandchildren, why animals deserted our planet
And why all birds fled away

I am afraid to give a lie
As I would be sorry not to justify
How the African elephant had disappeared?
And why?
And how the African elephant looked like?
Was the African elephant as heavy as a fly?
Was the African elephant as big as a frog?
Or did it simply look like a dog?

I would feel very sorry not to justify
How fish disappeared from the sea?
As there is no fish in the sea
No longer they could see

I wonder, what I would say to my grandchildren!
When they would ask me some years to come
And to talk to them about animals
and teach them some beautiful tales
How beautiful those animals were!
But what knowledge do you think I would share! !

What should I say, plz tell me?
Just tell me
What my answer should be?
When they would ask me
And insist to know all about Zebra
Was a Zebra as huge as a nuclear plant?
And was it as clever as an ant?
Was it as fat as a rat?
But I could only say it was black and white
With distinctive stripes

Then my wisdom would not serve me that day
It would escape me and let me unable to say
How big the elephant was?
Could I tell them it was as big as their school?
Then what about the giraffe?
Could I say some of them were short?
And some of them were tall?
Is it enough to say they were coloured
With black and yellow and white spots
And they could run as fast as your car
But not faster than the Tiger or the Jaguar?

And what should I tell them about the lion?
He was said to be the King of all animals! !
Was it true?
I am afraid not to be able to define the lion
Did it fly like a U.S fighting airplane?
Or was it as fierce as a Russian submarine?

Retajj, my granddaughter, might want to know
All about crocodiles
How they happened to disappear from the Nile?
Could I say that they had evaporated like water in the sun?
Or could I tell her that to heaven, they had all gone?
Or could I say that they were just stolen by someone?

And Lojjain, another young lady
Might want to know all about Rhinos! !
Were they like birds laying eggs?
And were their eggs as big as rocks?
Were they like human beings walking on two legs?
Did the Rhinos eat butter and bread?
And did they enjoy milk with hot chocolate?
Were they white, black or brown?
Was a rhino so strong to tear down a big tree?
With its magic horn when he was made angry
And was he so brave to fight
even-his shadow in the night?

Ahmed, my grandson,
He is a smart boy, with a vision
And wide i-m-a-g-i-n-a-a-a-a-tion
He will need explannnnnnations
Very good explannnnnations,
And scientific justificaaaaaaations,
From the whole world, from the whole nations
To tell him how the sharks disappeared from the oceans?
And the dolphin, friendly and clever was said to be?
And was it true that she did save many drowning souls
Then how did it happen that we have killed them all?

Oh, my dear human comrades, it would be too late
To answer such questions, but try at any rate,
For the sake of these generations, just try
To give answers for their W.H.Y.
Yes, human comrades, TRY with a T.R.Y
For the sake of grandsons and granddaughters
You need to wade the deepest waters
To fish answers and justify…
And clearly tell them why,
Why the fish deserted the sea?
And why the forests are void of chimpanzee?
And why is the sky,
Free of birds that used to fly?
And why is the soil poor of plants?
Insects, rats and poor of ants
WHY and WHY?
You need to justify,

Why the world is bare of green trees
And why the trees are bare of fruit and leaves?
You need to say where all the forests had gone?
Then, since you won't be able to answer this quizz,
Of those beautiful kids, so quit, plz

You would better spare them their earth
As they might be able to restore HER health
And that beautiful world again
And they might raise the beautiful life
That had once been before the war
Rich with green trees, singing birds, colorful fish,
With animals, full with happiness and rich
And that would be their second Birth
On a second Earth