I first saw the creature
In its natural home
I wanted to feature
Its character in my tome
It was giant, more than I expected
And it earned its name
It was shabby, almost neglected
But I was only thinking of fame
‘The one who likes to chew’
Was what its name meant
I took 5 steps forward and I knew
I almost fainted from the scent
It was in a sad and pitiable state
Wounds oozing with blood
It was hunted along with its mate,
Fur caked with random mud
It was too late for the other
No creature deserved to die alone
I felt like I was its mother
Then I silently took out my phone
I sent out a message
To all that would read
And told of the foliage
And the land that would bleed
My call was to protect
The last of untouched green
And my voice would inflect
The misery I had seen
Timu-timu was a beast
That much was true
It would even feast
On passersby coming through
But no creature deserved
Such an ignoble end
Justice needed to be served
And it was my duty to defend
So here I stand
Behind my screen
Pen in hand
To advocate for the unseen
For the Timu-timu
And the beasts of the land
With the Timu-timu
I shall walk hand in hand
=————————————————–=
Inspired by the Timu-timu legends from Iloilo
Timu-timu Illustration by Leandro Geniston
