Black mane, black thoughts
running through my mind
their claws rend
teeth gnashing
ripping at reality

My brother gone
at last! Triumph
is within my grasp, but why
do lionesses weep?

O, what a pain to be
king in this benighted land
hyenas by my side, they
laugh, but at whom?

I lie, paws crossed, within
my cave, I hide from no one
but myself.
If I find me, I am doomed.


David A. Morris (damorris@wilmington.net)