Would the altruistic elephant
that pulled the suicidal man
from the edge
of a rocky outcrop
with the curl of its trunk,
be nominated
for the peace prize?

Would the man agree?

As he sits in pain
his face bleeding
shattered nose
and a few lost teeth
pulled along
the sharp, eclectic surface
at the edge
of his
planned descent.

Would the orchids thank him?

Deprived of the blood
that would cascade
down the hillside below
to nourish the soil
that nourished the plants.

And what about all the women that never noticed him?

Would the invisible skin
around his footsteps
lift
with the excruciating pain
of his
swollen lips?

Would anything change?

Would his life begin again?

His fate sealed
in a fit of giggles,
overwhelmed
by the improbability
of an altruistic curl
from an altruistic elephant.

Would this be a sign?

A calling?

Or just a message?

Never jump
where there are elephants about,
especially not
the altruistic kind.



---Jib, 5.17pm, 16 Feb 03, at home in the light, while the world outside looks cold and miserable.