Durga

I am a warrior.
I have the strength of the elephant
you imagined I was after you took my tusks and fled.
But I need no tusks to conquer a coward.

I have the power in my bones to decapitate you with my hands alone,
I have the beauty of my skin to seduce a thousand predators,
the cunning to convert them to prey,
I have the love of an elephant's heart to forgive
the wisdom of an elephant's soul to never forget.

I abandoned your elephant on a train;
I have no need for symbols.
And the elephant I gave you
will never be more than a symbol.

A coward with ivory is
still a coward.
My tusks will not protect you as I did.

An elephant without tusks
can still crack a coconut under her foot.