And so it is, the way it always has been
since ancient times,
the air, thick with grey smoke and unspoken words and exhausted
clichés;
it’s her eyes that captivate me the most, stoic and somber
the gaze of a lioness
in between ravine of possibilities and homeland possesses a confident,
and unhurried grace—cloaked in longer sultry days.
Comforting myself with the idea, I try and envision myself right there;
when things hurt, let them hurt,
we are refueling ourselves to become a better version,
new day, new sky, the ocean and the hills, ever the same, ever evolving—
embodiment of the moment and eternal combined.
In quietude, I sensed something shattering, but wait, it’s not the glass
from the table,
nor is it from the lounge, what is it then?
A serene detachment, a lioness in every sense displays an endless variety of moods,
lonely and majestic, the right side of the brain is her domain
from where she presides over the left side of the body;
she embodies creativity, imagination, vision and resourcefulness, and
just like that
the source from where the noise came presents itself, the deepest of doubt
will fashion the strongest of believers, give not your goldenrod soul to it.
Like infinite pages of a book,
her paw prints make their way into the subconscious,
digging meticulously; the rest is merely an illusion, melting.
Photo credits: “The Love Letter, 1883” by Auguste Toulmouche,
Pinterest
Kim hosts at dVerse and invites us to write in the first person that
compares some trait of ours with something animal. She says the
title should be the same way Marjorie Saiser chose “The Print
the Whales Make.” Come join us! 💝
Posted for Poetics: “The print the whales make,” @ dVerse Poets Pub
I love the metaphysical aspect of your lioness…. I feel that she has become your totem, and maybe the totem is you…
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Oh my goodness, Sanaa! Your poem is stunning! I love the atmosphere you set with:
‘the air, thick with grey smoke and unspoken words and exhausted
Clichés’
and then go straight to the lioness’s eyes, ‘stoic and somber’, and the way the lioness ’displays an endless variety of moods, lonely and majestic’. I get the feeling you identify with the lioness, especially from the lines:
‘Like infinite pages of a book,
her paw prints make their way into the subconscious’.
Thank you so much, my dearest Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🌹
I like your lush poem and can see the mesmerizing “clawing in” of the gaze of a lioness or its human counterpart. Not easy to get loose in time…
Thank you so much, Lisa 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
This piece is so rich and evocative. Wonderful!
Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
“her paw prints make their way into the subconscious,
digging meticulously; the rest is merely an illusion, melting.”
This is fantastic! I love how all else is made false by her presence.
Thank you so much, Evan 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I hear both the roaring and the purring, agreeing with Bjorn that you have melded the lioness and you into one poetic entity. Some snapping wordsmithing here, mostly already noted. I liked “We are refueling ourselves to become a better version.”
Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
It is like we are trying on another’s skin. Beautiful imagery as always.
Thank you so much, Kerfe 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Splendid writing Sanaa. The piece was enchanting. I especially sparked to “ever evolving— embodiment of the moment and eternal combined.” That is, in the end, the mystery of it all. Brilliant line?
Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
“when things hurt, let them hurt,
we are refueling ourselves to become a better version,” So true, so true….
Thank you so much, Judy 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
luxurious, Sanaa
❤️❤️❤️
Enjoyed the psychology of the lioness in your lines, especially the way she allows the shattering and later the melting, the words are so surreal but still palpable, a mystical read! ✨
Thank you so much, Tricia 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Oh so lovely Sanaa. The Lioness is your true spirit animal. You seem to relate to her so well. Your poem is beautifully written and I love the opening lines where she immediately comes into view ☺️💕
Thank you so much, Christine 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Brilliant as always, Sanaa.
And this is perfect:
<3
David
Thank you so much, David 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
‘A lioness in every sense’ this is excellent, Sanaa:
‘when things hurt, let them hurt,
we are refueling ourselves to become a better version,’
I keep telling myself that!
Thank you so much, Ingrid 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
This is a fresh approach to the challenge, seeing the animal side of an image of a woman (refreshing too you used a pic of a Victorian woman instead of the too obvious lioness-in-the-savannah choice). This is seeing the lioness in her human bodily element, “between ravine of possibilities and homeland.” And what a lioness she it, more so perhaps for seeing her the way you do. And the Victorian woman is just as exotic in that sense, distant too from this day, an uncivilized interior with such rapt trappings. Well done Sanaa — l
Awwww gosh! Thank you so much, B 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Intense and comforting! A rare combination. This was enchanting and so powerful!
Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
For some reason this left me thinking of the menagerie that used to be house in the Tower of London, and the lions they kept for the entertainment of nobles. Great, powerful creatures trapped in cages, but as they did on more than one occasion, capable to taking a bite out of those who strayed too close.
Thank you so much, Carol 🙂 so good to see you 💄❤️