Oh Hunter great and ever mighty,
You shift your weight as you silently stand,
  A not quite frozen statue, waiting,
    Ego inflating,
      Constantly hating,
Nerves that are ragged, cold fingers flighty,
  Your rifle clenched in your hand.

Surely a hero this man must be,
You think to yourself as you raise your gun,
  Keeping the wolf away from the door,
    Not fearing his roar,
      His bone crunching jaw.
You think of yourself as a deity,
  Every fight you’ve been in, you’ve won.

A shadow moves within the forest,
A demon slowly slinks, it haunts the trees.
  You glance along your gun’s polished sight,
    Your instinct burns bright,
      Your god-given right
Is to send this thing everlasting rest.
  The smell of Death’s in the breeze.

You see the monster, and quickly shoot,
(A memory: Hiroshima, Auschwitz too,
  Jack the Ripper, Belfast and My Lai,)
    This demon at bay:
      A rabbit, you slay,
(You kill and you rape, you pillage and loot,)
  The monster lies within you.

                                                       1974