(A gift from T.G. on my #36, as read aloud by her that night)
The Lion and the Lamb
Part I
Far off in the distance, I'm beginning to hear the faint sounds of a roar
Could there be a lion loose somewhere within the polite strains of civilization?
I cup my ears to listen
Yes, it is a lion and I know him well
Once whimpering in a closet of self-doubt, his roar now echoes round the Earth
A proud sound purging the cancerous absence of authenticity
He roars louder now
He roars for all the roars that were not roared
The ones silenced by fear's rationalities
He roars over the lovers he placed on an altar instead of by his side
As if they dangled salvation in front of his young nostrils
He roars to remove the sweet and sour mask that covered his rage
Locked in a cage, visitors at the zoo enjoying his docile loss of dignity
Tantalizing tourists peering through bars
The roar sounds louder now, music to my ears, compelling me, exciting me
Roar, you passionate wild beast! Roar yourself out of the cage
Out of all cages, all closets, all of us!
Lick your wounds, clean yourself, retreat when needed, roar when you want to
Be proud, passionate lion!
Part 2
"As clever as a serpent and as gentle as a lamb," the Scripture reads
But one day the serpent was blinded by the lamb
And with the soft wool over our eyes, we slept soundly
In front of the television inserting story after bedtime story
The lion's roar was a wake up call
Roar! There is danger in the jungles of complacency
Roar! Real life passion is slipping away, every moment of giving up and giving in
Every truth that's been trapped in the throat, gasping for air to breathe
Roar, lion king! Restore us to sacred stewardship!
Roar, rumble, rise up from a boy's belly, this volcanic bat mitzvah
Can we stop it from rising, the voice that has the momentum
Of all that has been oppressed in nature?
Part 3
And so the lion devours the lamb
Spitting out the bones of ancestral whimpering
The tools of compliance, the cherished, cultured caves of hiding,
Freedom roars in this destructive feat, cleaning the slate at last
And from the belly of this untamed beast, over time a new lamb is born
The lamb hunts and plays with the lion, consults with the serpent
And teaches them both the power and way of gentleness
True, fearless, gentleness
They are proud now, roaring and purring
With no bars and tourists to perform for
And I'm starting to hear myself roar
My home is in the jungle
("ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..."
she beckons, calling in her Lion King. ; )
