Questions to a future self, 2019

When the animals have been dragged
to final extinction,

will we retire them as mascots
of our prolific advertising,
or
will they linger,
as avatars
of species annihilated?

The elephant, tiger,
rhinoceros and leopard;
those familiar figures
of Kipling’s youth;
prevalent now only as simulacra.

Will we continue to play,
in the shadow of extinction?

Will we dance on graves,
with the ghosts of the toothed and clawed?