I had never seen a creature that appeared to breathe power,
His large golden ribs expanding and falling With the calm arrogance only kings display. I hadn't seen him coming, his frame emerged suddenly from behind the foliage.
Fierce said his teeth. Patient said his tail. Strength said his chest. Fire in his eyes.
When those eyes met mine, my spine shivered, Because I knew I was the prey. Hunted. Cornered. Defenseless. One strike from that massive paw, The claws curling around my skull, And I would be down.
My arms would fly, My fists would pound, But there is nothing stronger than this beast. His very presence hijacks the atmosphere, And takes your pride for ransom.
The hairs on my neck tried to tear themselves free, My bones tried to crumble to the earth, My courage melted to a puddle in the grass, As I stared at those piercing yellow eyes.
Should you ever come across a lion in the wild,
Where no fences keep him out and no rangers keep you safe,
Be warned.
Never turn and run.
For nothing thrills him more than the chase.
To survive, you must hold your ground, Stand tall, and shoot your gun if you have one.
But the greatest risk of all, besides running like a buck,
Is to be drawn into the mystery that is the lion.
The strange desire to approach, to stroke his mane, To see him up close, may keep you from shooting.
For he is a stunning animal,
With golden shoulders that glow in the sun,
And a face that demands awe and respect.
The very synchrony of his locomotion
Is a mystical masterpiece in its rhythm and energy.
Pulled by some attraction, I stepped towards him, shaking.
The gun suffocated beneath my fingers.
Sweat ran down my face, stinging my eyes.
If ever I was to retreat, now would be the time.
But those eyes, those piercing yellow eyes,
Had me locked in a trance,
And I was not myself anymore.
I had become an irrational, spontaneous idiot that could not help but keep walking forward.
Muscles poised, his black nose was meters from my chest.
My heart screamed, beating against my ribs.
I could hear a pulse in my ears now.
His eyes were turning me over in his mouth.
At this distance, death was guaranteed.
Realizing suddenly where I was, I madly fired my gun.
But the rifle jammed.
He had already leaped towards me.
In that instant I lived a lifetime,
Watching him fly closer, the manifestation of passion itself.
Something was draining the fear,
Blurring the world around me so that all I could see was him.
Nothing had ever been so beautiful to me.
Such profound awe.
I welcomed my death now, embraced the end,
For the life that would bloom from the dust of my grave.
And when he gripped me,
When I finally surrendered to his jaws,
I found myself blissfully and quite entirely,
Consumed.