The Lioness

A proud noble creature
A ruthless predator
Fierce and cunning
But capable of
Great tenderness
With her young

That's how I saw you
Once upon a time
But no longer
Life has dealt you
Some hard blows
And it has changed you
How could it not

The image I see before me now
Is still that of a lioness
But she is wounded
With spears in her side
Open wounds, bleeding
She awaits the inevitable
Wishing death to come swiftly
But it does not

In her rage and pain
She goes on the attack
Lunges, teeth bared
Claws extended
Ripping and slashing
Those who dare approach her

After our last few visits
I have come away with
My heart torn to shreds

12.01.04

CMT

Author's Notes

This poem is about Georgia and how I think she's dealing with two major losses: her breakup with Aloha, the woman she still refers to as the love of her life, and the death of her mother, all of which happened within the last seven years.

I thought about calling this one Walking Wounded. But in the end, I decided not to because it wasn't distinctive enough. I think we're all walking wounded in some form or another. But we each handle pain differently.