Poem - I'm giving poetry a shot, tell me what you think

They don't know,
they knew it was bright when they first awoke,
but now in darkness, and close.

Very close together,
and hot.
They should've felt safe,
being so close to each other,
but their young instincts told them otherwise.

Musty, rough material caught their tiny claws,
as they were bumped and jostled around.

Were was mother?
They don't know.
Her smell was gone.
They were afraid.

They called to her, weak cries,
but she did not reply, couldn't, not now.

Now they could smell something new, damp, salty air.
They don't know.

Clambering over each other, frantic now,
suddenly falling but still together, then noise,
splashing, cold, rushing all around them.

Breathing was different now, harder,
and coldness was gripping them,
their cries were not heard now, even by them.

They flailed their weak legs, paws,
reaching, but nothing.
Mother! Mother!
She was not there, would never be there,
could never be there.

Their tiny lungs could not cope,
their bodies went limp, cold,
whiskers and tails but no life,
their eyes fell closed, forever.

Mother knew of their fate as they were taken from her,
she called endlessly but to no avail,
her crying filling the cold night air,
for her babies had gone.

I'm not sure what kind of reaction I will get from this. Gulp! I am not an animal hater, I love animals. This came from an experience I had when I was younger. Someone did this and when I heard about it, I cried for a long time. It was often done when I was growing up, not by my family, but by others who were too ignorant to visit the vets just once. It really hurt me, so I've tried to embrace those feelings and put them into words. Sorry for the downer!