The Captive Hare

He had that look the frightened look of fear I could swear his wild brown eyes were full of tears He had that mournful look about the eye Like human soul who'd been condemned to die. Last night the caged in prisoner lived free And ate sweet grasses in an upland lea Last night the wild born brown hare ate his fill In the green meadow by the heather hill. Last night October wind soughed in the trees And he was free and happy and at ease And cloak of night offered security To inoffensive creature such as he. He felt so happy there in upland field With darkness as an ally and a shield A blindfold against eyes of enemy Man and man's dog and fox the killer three. But then suddenly a spot light pierced the gloom of night And lit up the meadow made the meadow bright And the alarmed hare looked twice his natural height As he stood on hind legs and gazed towards the light. And then as frightened hares do he crouched low midst the grass And hid himself hoping danger would pass But the poacher of his presence was aware And he knew exactly where to find the hare. As the light drew near from hiding he did race And the poacher's dog was quick to give him chase He ran a straight line towards the meadow gate Where another poacher by hare net did wait. And then he found himself entangled in the net That the poachers for to capture him had set And he felt the power of man the human clasp As strong human hands of his long ears took grasp. And then the shocked wild born creature scared and shy Uttered forth his sharp heart rending cry As from his captor's hands he tried to struggle free But the powerful poacher held him steadfastly. His captors placed him in a brown cord sack The type men use to hold coal and coal slack And at his prison sack the hare did claw and scrape But he could not claw free and make good his escape. The poachers carried their prisoner home with them And from the sack transferred him to a cage like pen A strongly framed cage wrapped round with cage wire In poachers back yard in a disused byre. Last night for the first time in his life He heard rats noise the sound of rat was rife He could hear the bickering brown rats squeak and brawl From his prison cage beside the damp byre wall. His little hare teeth bit at the strong cage wire To escape to freedom his burning desire To escape from man made cage his prison cell And flee the draughty byre a rodent hell. He scrope at the cage floor with little hare paws Tore at the boards and used his teeth and claws He tried his best his freedom for to gain But his work proved futile and his effort in vain. From prison cage he saw the light of day As into the byre crept dawn's awakening ray And outside the byre on creaky wind blown tree A robin piped a brief sweet melody. Another hour went by and then three humans came And again the fear in his wild heart took flame The poachers had with them a man who'd come to buy And the captive hare had been condemned to die. He now belong to cruel heart doggy man Who put him in box in front seat of motor van And he paid the poachers for the hare twenty quid A tenner each they shared the purchase bid. The hare next found himself in greyhound run And near by stood the greyhound owner's son With hounds on leash a fawn and a white and black Two young dogs they were blooding for the track. The greyhound owner tied hay bale twine to earth bound wooden peg And fastened the twine end to the hare's right hind leg And then from his box he let the hare run free And he raced for freedom from captivity. But in his right hind leg the hare felt stinging pain As against the twine that held him he did strain And the doggy men unmoved by cruelty Found pleasure in the creature's agony. The yapping hounds in anticipation of blood spill Strained on their leashes anxious for the kill And the trembling hare glanced up at gnashing teeth Sharp and white from chewing at bones and meat. The young man unleashed the hounds and the snarling dogs raced in And grabbed the hare playing tug of war with him And his painful dying cries sounded so shrill The creature from the field beside the hill.