Proudly she stands with her foot
On the head of her prey
Her weapon across her shoulder
The trophy for a well-paid day
A handsome reward for the risk
She takes on every shoot
For the victim could fight back
And deprive her of the loot
She smiles so the photograph
Will capture the unleashed iron
That coursed through her
When she sees her bagged lioness
Or better still the shaggy lion
Adding another notch on her bedpost list
The feeling of power too hard to resist
Yet she fails to see through her vanity mist
The ghost of her image turned topsy-turvy
Her phoney claim to be a ‘conservationist’
Cuts a tarnished symbol as some women see
The trophy hunter as naked as a naturist
The trophy hunter as nature’s terrorist
The trophy killer as a stalking rapist
The rapist steals a piece of his victim
Sings his hymn of hate as a maxim
To take away as a token of his prey
To dwell on his pervert’s power
Used to slay the one in the way
A perfect reminder of his crime
A mirror-image of his victim
A trophy of power that satisfies him
A rapist and trophy hunter whose vanity
Advertises a naked hatred of humanity
© Noel Sweeney, 2023
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