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“The Alarm”
Akeley’s African Elephants
The American Museum Natural History
“The Alarm”
Taxidermy
(East African Elephant Herd)
Carl E. Akeley
1915-19
too grand for a box
the dark continent’s marvelous creatures
turn ears and eyes to the centered dais
where lined in grids of polished brass
the ground glows with swirling shadows
as billiard ball children bounce across the grand dark room
prodded by a force as real as innocence
flashlights frame a million widening eyes
as silent trumpets sound the frozen alarm
our beautiful giants encircle their young
the tornado strolls around its weekend charms
and swells to fan the growing flames
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