Loving a Lion

Loving a Lion

Into your den, disheveled or elated
Your unceasing breath swallows me
With a pungent sting and a cloud of warmth

You lay motionless
Yet dominate your space
The up and down, in and out of your breathing chest
Pushes and pulls me toward and away
Your allusiveness physical and emotional in equal parts

I spill myself out to you
My deepest fears, most vulnerable confessions
Fantastical hopes, untamed dreams, stormy perplexions
You listen fiercely but don’t respond

Yearning for embrace
I acquiesce to the untender grope of your callous paw
Your nails cut deep, assuaging tension
Exposing hurt and dignity I wish I could not share

Remember when we ran together
Dashing through tall grasses
Unrelenting winds, incessant rains
Over boulders big, streams wide, past portals small

We scampered through to sunny fields
Chirping birds welcomed us
Gesticulating toward reborn mushrooms smelling like hope
And pristine wild flowers uttering adages of joy

Through the jungle you kept me close
Your massive frame enveloping and defending my fragility
Your thunderous roar making clear that I would never be touched

The prophecy was true
The promise was kept
The touch is gone the passion runs cold
The warmth remaining, is hoarded by the soup you’ve made for dinner