I only saw her for an instant

As the cattle truck sped by

But that fleeting brief encounter

Was enough to make me cry.

What struck me was her dignity

So regal! Head held high,

And I cried because I knew the way

Too soon, she'd surely die.

She looked every inch a lady

So deserving of respect.

The brutal bloody fate in store

I prayed she'd not suspect.

She'd never harmed a living soul

Yet hands unfit to touch her,

Would soon transform her regal form

And beat and bruise and clutch her.

For her there'd be no comfort

As the 'final hour' drew near.

No loving tender touch

To make it easier to bear.

Instead she'd see the terror

In the frantic fear-filled eyes

Of the ones who went before her,

Then their last blood-curdling cries.

What cruel unjust and callous world

To break this gentle heart,

Eyes glazed with fear, my lovely queen

Would soon be ripped apart.