LILY PAD LION

She knelt
as she gazed
into the glimmering pond
which had drawn her near
by its purring, lapping sound.

Just below its surface
she caught a glimpse of a green, lily pad.
Ripples of sound emanated
from its blurred form
beckoning her to peer deeper and deeper
into its centre.

As she did
two amber spheres took form,
a nose sniffed,
a mane tossed,
and a tufted tail swished.

A splash broke the eerie twilight;
a golden lion climbed onto the bank,
shook drops from its glowing coat
and padded away
with nary a backward glance.

And now throughout the jungle night
night birds sing,
crickets chirp,
and a glimmering pond laps and sobs.
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This "poem" began as a doodle (since tossed out) of a green form that... became a lily pad, that... took on amber eyes... and then my imagination took off from there. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. It evokes, for me, the mysterious mood of a Henri Rousseau painting.

I wrote this for an English course in 1986.
It has been re-worked into the form you see here.
copyright Nance Thacker 2011