The Liontamer

yep,
she’s still in
there
somewhere.
The bright red
coat,
the shiny gold buttons
and matching
trim.
The elegant
white gloves,
their sparkling
rivets
catching the big top
lights.
And the whip.
Held, wrist slightly
extended,
just so.
Eyes on the prize.

Only,
she’s actually an
animal lover,
who no longer
eats meat,
and she knows
where the big five
are meant to
roam magestically free.

It was never really
about lions though,
was it?
It was about chasing
down those
big dreams,
that could be spectacular
failures.
About walking out
on the ledge,
hair perfectly curled,
stillos click-clacking.
Tight dress.
Lighting that cigarette.

It’s in the wildness.
Which she carries
within her,
or does it
carry her?
Does it matter?
For they are one.

And to love
her, is
to know some
of these things.
And to
BE
her, is to know
that the
days are long,
and the years are
short.
The hills many,
and the breathholding
profound.

Yet, there is this:
Wherever you go,
you take yourself
with you.
And in that,
there is everything:
the flick of a perfect
whip.
The ledge.
The crazy opportunity.

That is all.

~Lu