Sonnets of the stone ruins
I
Long ago a mighty hunter
sailed on the river to look for medicine
and his canoe made from tree
was swept along with uprooted trees
by a river in flood.
He lost control over the boat
and in the distance
a thundering sound
hanged in the air
mighty smoke
rose ghostly out of the water
in a fine spray
and he could hear tons of water
flowing down a cataract.
II
While the canoe was spinning round
and round
he tied a long thin strong thong
to a arrow
and with all the power in his strong arms
he draws the bow’s string and set his aim
on a massive tree
standing on the shore.
The arrow caught speed
and hanged a moment in the grey air
before it hit the tree with great force
and the thong spanned stiff
and his arms with desperate power
overcame the river.
III
He passed the remains
of ancient mines
and villages declining
and overgrown by bushes
and suddenly there were rock walls and towers
and branches creeping
into the walls.
Cautiously he sneaked nearer
and shot a arrow through a spitting cobra
and suddenly a figure appeared behind a bush,
but before his rock could hit it
it disappeared into the nought
and against a niche another figure stared
deep into his thoughts
IV
When he stormed with assegai in his hand
onto that figure
it disappeared around a corner
into a dark passageway
and all at once
there was an animal with glowing eyes
breathing heavily in the dark in front of him
and he lifted his shield against it
And took a firm grip on the back of the spear.
With rotting breath and cruel anger
a lion leaped with stretched out claws
growling onto him,
but he was shield somewhat
While the assegai went deep past the animal’s ribs.
V
While the lion died in anger
the claws ripped deep into the hunter’s shoulder
and his sharp knife
slashed time after time
through the animal’s heart
and covered in blood
he came out
from under weight of the dead lion.
In horror he saw
the lion changing slowly
from animal to human
with a spear through his ribs
and a lion skin
around his shoulders.
VI
He was still busy
dragging the lion skin from the killed man
and felt the soft fur
in his hands,
when to more lions
in anger leaped on him.
It was too much for him
since both knife and spear
still wedged into the dead man
and with the fighting
he had lost
his bow and arrows
and he was cornered
by lions ripping from both sides.
VII
l’Envoi
It is told
than when the air is open
and the moon takes long to rise
a mighty hunter appears
with the rain gods
where they bash their shields
and spears against each other
and that the air
is now his hunting ground
You can see stripes of thunder
when his arrows with thongs
dropp down to earth,
before the new season’s
first raindrops fall.
[Reference: With thanks to “The ivory trail” by T.V. Bulpin that gave me the idea of this poem.]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
On patrol in the African bush
The LMG was getting heavy and hot
in my hands
and somehow the H-frame
became a part of my shoulders and back
and the stinging and unremitting African sun
was taking the last moisture out of us.
From nowhere some gnats appeared
and hang circling,
above our heads
Thirst was burning my throat
like scraping sandpaper,
but we could smell the river
and its cold water
looked inviting to us.
We were spread in an attack formation
and the squad was armed with
two LMG’s, a mortar
and R1-assault rifles.
The enemy tracks disappeared
near to the river
and we swerved to comb the banks,
to find the crossing point.
and we were at our nerves edge
and ready for fighting action.
Some tiny ripples appeared in the river
before the water at the riverside erupted
and three menacing happy snapper’s,
came fighting mad from the tranquil river.
Out of the nearest bush
an angry young lion rushed,
dragging a young gemsbok
away from the river.
With snapping jaws three crocodiles,
went for the astonished lion.
The lion roared in anger
and stood its ground,
but there were three jaws
opening and closing
with snapping teeth.
We froze and stared astounded
and saw the lion
tearing away into the bush
and the crocodiles dragging the buck
into the water.
[References=> LMG=> Light machinegun, R1 rifle=> Similar to Belgian FN-rifle]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Leroy the Lion
leroy the lion was toothless,
every elephant
giraffe parrrot and snake,
found this hilarious.
he would walk through the thick forest,
trying to look scary and mean,
he would open his wide gummy mouth,
but no animal would scream,
he really was the worst lion ever,
he was as harmless as a feather.
monkeys would throw coconuts at his weary head,
sid the snake would slither up his large lion leg,
and whisper cruel words into his ear,
and alone in his den he would release big lion tears,
then one day,
a friendly wise owl,
heard the lions sad meow,
down he flew to see the lonely lion,
the lion told the owl of his plight,
'dont worry leroy your soon cause a fright',
off his flew to brew up a plan,
just like wise owls always can.
soon he returned with a set of lions teeth,
rubbing them clean with a giant leaf,
'where did you get these dear owl'
from your dead cousin,
poor fool was crushed by a stampede of cow,
wont be needing these now,
so leroy the lion,
placed the teeth in his big eager mouth,
and roared a loud scary roar,
he thanked the owl,
and soon saw sid the sly snake,
opened his mouth,
and sid did shake,
slivering off into his hole,
then he saw the cheeky monkey,
who on sight of the lions new teeth,
screamed and run up his tree,
and from that day on,
the lion ruled strong,
he was the king of the jungle,
and this is his song
poem by Not Long Left
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dead Lion
Lion died
And dead lion
Came to me crying
Dead lion wanted to know
so many thing about life.
I am not here
To told about
Lion's history
Or geography of the area
Where lion was.
Dead lion
I found within
My house my country
Lion was enchanted
on the scene here
Even after death
That much I knew.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The hunter
With a bow in his hand
the hunter sneaks
above the wind,
following the tracts
of the wild antelope.
His brown skin
melts into the field
and the bushes,
and like a wild cat
he sneaks
from cover to cover.
The sun is hot
where it hangs in the half-Kalahari sky
and he drinks a tiny bit of water
out of the ostrich egg flask,
before a brown hand
with caked sand
wipes sweat out of his dark brown eyes.
Again he takes the trail
and follows it at a jog
until the oryxes are closer
and again he sneaks nearer
and stalks still closer.
When he is in striking distance
an arrow is taken from the quiver
and the small bow’s string
made out of roped intestines draws
and for a moment,
it sounds like the buzz of a bee
while the arrow
rushes away from the bow.
The arrow hits the antelope
and when the startled oryx
rushes away
the hunter follows
faithful on the spoor,
till he finds it
where in time
it lies stretched out
on the red brown Africa sand.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Be A Lion
(charlie smalls)
There is a place well go
Where there is mostly quiet
Flowers and butterflies
A rainbow lives beside it
And from a velvet sky
A summer storm
You can feel the coolness in the air
But youre still warm
And then a mighty roar
Will start the sky to cryin
But not even lightning
Will be frightening my lion
And with no fear inside
No need to run
No need to hide
Youre standing strong and tall
Youre the bravest of them all
If on courage you must call
Then just keep on tryin
And tryin, and tryin
Youre a lion
In your own way, be a lion
Come on be a lion
I am standing strong and tall
Youre the bravest of them all
If on courage you must call
Keep on tryin
And tryin, and tryin
Im a lion
In my own way
Im a lion
A lion
A lion
A lion
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Lion
LION
A MAN WALKED DOWN A LONELY AVENUE AND SUDDENLY HE SAW A LION! HE RAN OFF SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF HIS VOICE! LION! LION! !
AND A MAN SITTING AT A CORNER KIOSK HEARD HIM SHOUTING LION! LION! ! AS HE RAN PAST THE CORNER KIOSK! WHAT A WAY TO CALL TO THY PET! I ALSO HAVE A DOG NAMED TIGER! STATED THE MAN!
poem by Overlord Don Manuel Ihcakeyno
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Making The Lion For All It's Got -- A Ballad
I came home and found a lion in my room...
[First draft of "The Lion for Real" CP 174-175]
A lion met America
in the road
they stared at each other
two figures on the crossroads in the desert.
America screamed
The lion roared
They leaped at each other
America desperate to win
Fighting with bombs, flamethrowers,
knives forks submarines.
The lion ate America, bit off her head
and loped off to the golden hills
that's all there is to say
about america except
that now she's
lionshit all over the desert.
poem by Allen Ginsberg
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Frog and the Lion
A LITTLE FROG WENT OUT ONE DAY
TO HAVE A FROGGIE WALK,
HE SAW A LION ON HIS WAY
AND STOPPED TO HAVE A TALK.
AND THEN THE LION SAID TO HIM,
THERE’S FLIES UPON MY BACK,
AND I AM FEELING PRETTY GRIM
WHILE STANDING IN THIS TRACK.
SO IF YOU CLIMB ABOARD MY FRIEND,
YOU’LL HAVE A LOVELY FEED,
I’LL FLICK MY TAIL SO I CAN SEND
THE FLIES TO FILL YOUR NEED.
SO FROGGIE CLIMED ON LION’S BACK
AND ATE AND ATE AND ATE,
AND LION STOOD UPON THE TRACK
TO WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT.
ONE DAY LION LOOKED AT FROG
AND SAW HIS EYES WERE DIM,
THEN LET HIM DOWN INTO THE BOG
SO HE COULD HAVE A SWIM.
AND THEN THE FROG CAME BACK AGAIN
THE LION TO ATTEND.
HE CLIMBED BACK IN THE LIONS MANE,
THE LION WAS HIS FRIEND.
AS TIME WENT BY THE FROG GOT FAT.
AND LION WAITED ON.
THEN FROG WAS EATEN BY THAT CAT,
AND SO THE FROG WAS GONE.
THE FROGGIE IN THE LION,
JUST SCHRIVLED RIGHT AWAY.
THE FROG WAS FULL OF POISON.
THE LION DIED THAT DAY.
THE MORAL OF THIS STORY.
IS TWOFOLD, LISTEN ON.
JUST BE VERY CAREFULL,
BEFORE YOUR DAYS ARE GONE.
CHOOSE YOU VERY WISELY
THE FRIENDS WITH WHOM YOU GREET.
AND DON’T BE LIKE THE LION.
BE CAREFULL WHAT YOU EAT
poem by George Savige
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
GOD's Elephant - Beating Back The Lion...
GOD Pulled The Lion’s Teeth
GOD Crushed The Lion’s Claws
GOD Took The Lion’s Roar
… and made it very small
GOD Tore Off The Lion’s Tail
GOD Cut The Lion’s Mane
‘Til The Lion’s Voracious Voice
Became Lame and Tamed … and Shamed
Because That Lion Was A Coward
That Crazed Lion Was A Bully
Looking Only For The Weak
To Feast On Them Fully
Not Because It Was Hungry
Not Because It Was In Need
Terror Became Its Creed
Because Its Favorite Taste … Was Greed
It Was The Nature Of That Beast
To Be The Enemy Of My Peace
But GOD Changed Me Into An Elephant
When GOD Saw Me On My Knees
That Lion Chose Me As Victim
It Thought I’d Be Irrelevant
Because It Had No Idea …
I’d Become GOD’ Elephant
… I Am One Of GOD’s Messengers
Hear Me Trumpet HIS Sound
See How Christian Courage Charge
and Shake Lions Underground
See My Ivory Tusks Of Hope
Raised High In Silhouette Moonlight
Gleaming As I Spoke
My Prayers Thru Every Night
See My Ears So Huge To Cool
Fiery Heat That Must Come
Caressing My Full Faith Form
As Heart Beats A Thunder-Drum
GOD Gave Me Wings Of The Wind
GOD Gave Me Echoes Of The Sea
Gave Me A Stand Like A Snowcapped Mountain
And A Trunk Like A Baobab Tree
Yes … GOD Gave Me Two Lightning Spears
GOD Gave Me Two Winged Shields
GOD Gave Me An Earth-Arced Back
To Fearlessly Bear HIS Will …
As GOD Watches Over My Rivers
GOD Guards My Misty Rainbow
GOD Has Shone On All My Dawns
and All Victories Over My Foes …
… and The Lions Came With Stealth
Fierce Lions Came Every Hour
They Thought This Prey Would Cower
While This Pachyderm, They’d Devour
Lions Came With Uncanny Power
They Came With Their Pride Of Lions
But Snarls & Snaps Were No Match
For The Song-Sung To Heavenly Zion
and GOD Cracked The Lion’s Jaw
GOD Strangled The Lion’s Throat
GOD Took The Meat Out Of Its Mouth
and Tore The Tongue Out Of Its Gloat
GOD Sapped The Lion’s Strength
GOD Broke The Lion’s Back
and Thru A Million Stars … I Will Tell
How GOD … Stopped The Lions’ Attack
I Am GOD’s Elephant
The One They Came To Ingest
and Tho’ They Jumped & Scratched & Bit
I Shook Lions Off Like Insects
Yes, I Shook Lions Off My Back
I Turned Their Roars Around
I Hurled It Back In Their Faces
and Stomped Them Below – Down
… Those Lions Say There Is No God
Yet, They Worship Their Belly and Dollars
They’ll Wish They Hunted For The Truth
When They Starve In Their Lair Of Liars
Those Lions Claim There Is No God
As They Bow Down and Feed On Other Things
They Are On The Prowl As Thieves
Trying To Steal Crowns From Kings
and GOD Himself Will Come Free Us
From The World’s Ring-Master’s Circus
and Lead Us To A Land So Lush
Where Footpads Can Again Grow Plush
… I March Thru Jungles Of Jericho
My Huge Head Is Shaking To and ‘Fro
Listen To My Blessed Bellow
Which Made Lions Sound Like Mosquitoes
Because I Am GOD’s Elephant
The Lions Will Learn Not To Push
For You Can’t Move Or Make Bent Or Rush
A Big Believer From The Burning Bush
I Am GOD’s Elephant
Behemoth Brave, Yet Delicate
My Mammoth Memory Will Not Forget
… That I Am GOD’s Elephant
To Holy Water I Journey To Make It
Then Even My Burial Mound Will Be Sacred
No Predator Nor Poacher Can Take It
Our Graveyard, GOD Won’t Forsake It …
I Am GOD’s Elephant
I Hold A Memory For GOD’s Wrath To Come
I Am GOD’s Elephant
My Trumpet Sounds Forth To Warn
I Am GOD’s Elephant
I’m Calling Out My Testament
and A Portrait Of An Elephant
Is On My Crest To Time Indefinite …
From The Ancient Of Days
To Future Events
I Do Admit
I Am GOD’s Elephant
and GOD Pulled The Lion’s Teeth
GOD Crushed The Lion’s Claws
GOD Took The Lion’s Roar
… and made it very small
GOD Tore Off The Lion’s Tail
GOD Cut The Lion’s Mane
‘Til The Lion’s Voracious Voice
Became Lame and Tamed … and Shamed
… Before & For HIS Elephant …
Written & ©: 7/26/10
By: The MoonBee
poem by MoonBee Canady
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Your Greater Animal
They say that if you are
Ever confronted by
A lion or bear,
To never act scared
Instead act like
You are the greater animal
And that they’re
The hare
That you are about
To tear.
This has been
Proven
And compared.
This is how presidents
Are loved
And feared.
Each one of us has an animal
Within us
That is armed with
Mental,
Physical or
Spiritual gifts
That could shoot spears
Through the air.
So next time
You are confronted in
A fight that seems unfair,
Just remember the lion and the bear.
MAGNIFY
Your greater animal
And all that feel your magnificence
Will step away
And disappear.
poem by Suzy Kassem
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Ch 07 On The Effects Of Education Story 17
One year I travelled from Balkh with Damascenes and the road being full of danger on account of robbers, a young man accompanied us as an escort. He was expert with the shield and the bow, handled every weapon and so strong that ten men were not able to span his bow-string. Moreover the athletes of the face of the earth could not bend his back down to the ground. He was, however, rich, brought up in the shade, without experience in the world, the drum-sounds of warriors never having reached his ears nor the lightning of the swords of horsemen dazzled his eyes.
He had not fallen prisoner into the hands of a foe.
No shower of arrows had rained around him.
I happened to be running together with this youth, who threw down by the force of his arm every wall that came in his way, and pulled up by the strength of his fist every big tree he saw, exclaiming, boastingly:
Where is the elephant that he may see the shoulders of the heroes?
Where is the lion that he may see the fists of men?
On that occasion two Indians showed their heads from behind a rock, desirous to attack us. One of them had a club in his hand whilst the other showed a sling under his arm. I asked our youth what he was waiting for.
Show what thou hast of bravery and strength
For here is the foe, coming on his own feet to the grave.
I saw the arrow and bow falling from the hands of the young man and his bones trembling:
Not everyone who splits a hair with a cuirass-piercing arrow
Can, on the day of attack by warriors, extricate his feet.
We saw no other remedy but to abandon our baggage, arms and clothes, whereby we saved our lives.
Employ an experienced man in important affairs
Who is able to ensnare a fierce lion with his lasso.
A youth, though he may have a strong arm and elephant-body,
His joints will snap asunder for fear in contact with a foe.
The issue of a battle is known by a tried man before the contest
Like the solution of a legal question to a learned man.
The Wild Thing
in the dusk in the dark,
an animal creeps.
from not very far.
i see his eyes,
look to the skys.
creeping at night,
out of sight.
catch his pray,
no reason to stay,
blood trail from where he lay.
taking the life from the animal he slaughter,
last of it left for his lion cub daughter.
poem by Ailish Canning
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Bias
even when the lion
smiles at us
we still withhold
confidence
even if the lion is
sincere
and does not think of
evil
like eating all of us
as prey
we always think of
the worst
even if it is just a picture
of the lion
smiling at us
we still suspect
that this can be a trap
another deception
a lion is a lion is a lion
and will always be lion
no matter what
as simple as that
ask the wind
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Every animal and the lion and the lamb
For the parrot in its cage
the open spaces,
of the jungle remain
and unfolds in its mind.
Though if it escapes
here in the city
it would fly aimlessly,
among the buildings
and not know
where to find food and shelter.
At the zoo lions are camped in
and are placed together,
and fed by human beings.
Away is the field
and game that graze
and and a pan,
or river to get water from.
For the lamb there’s a camp
to graze in
and feed from a human
and to remain
a farmers’ property.
Every animal and the lion and the lamb
and all of us wait
for the child,
that leads animals to freedom
and for the world
to get righteousness.
[Reference=> 'The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them' (Isaiah 11: 6) .]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Be A Lion
There is a place well go,
Where there is mostly quiet;
Flowers and butterflies,
A rainbow lives beside it.
And from a velvet sky,
A summer storm;
You can feel the coolness in the air
But youre still warm,
And then a mighty roar
Will start the sky to cryin;
But not even lightening
Will be frightening to my lion.
And with no fear inside,
No need to run, no need to hide,
Youre standing strong and tall,
Youre the bravest of them all
If on courage we must call,
Then just keep on tryin
And tryin and tryin-
Youre a lion,
In your own way, be a lion.
Come on, be a lion!
Im standing strong and tall!
Youre the bravest of them all!
If on courage you must call-
Keep on trying and...
Trying and trying...
Im a lion!
In my own way, Im a lion!
song performed by by Michael Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Battle Scars
The lion's eyes looked dead ahead,
No smile or smirk in sight,
Just sending out a sense of dread
That others may take flight...
Why fight if you can run away?
Escape the pain and strife...
Born free to see another day,
Another day of life...
The lion's mouth concealed his teeth,
Small daggers every one,
So sharp they'd cause you instant grief
Before the battle's won...
And 'neath his dainty-looking paws,
So gentle, silky-soft,
He hid his vicious callous claws
In wait for those who scoffed...
It's true that he had battle scars,
Yet he had learnt his trade,
No longer thinking it a farce,
A game that lions played...
One lion wins, it can't be two...
One lion takes the prize!
That's why he'll do what he must do...
Look deep into his eyes....
Denis Martindale, copyright, June 2010.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Battle Scars'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Were I A Lion King
Were I a lion king of the pride how proud a lion I'd be
To think that other lions for miles around are very scared of me
In the stillness of the African night I would roar aggressively
I would not be kind to other lions or in ways act neighbourly
Of the prey the lionesses did kill I would be first to eat
The other members of the pride would have to wait for their share of the meat
The male lion who has compassion will never rule a pride
Of any honour in his life by his attitude self denied
If I were a lion king of the pride the lionesses for me would kill the prey
But if's an obstacle that always does get in the way
Human beings need some aggression in life for to succeed
The timid like the timid lion are not destined to lead
Were I a lion king in the African night I'd give a mighty roar
That would be heard by other lions for two miles distant or more.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Animal in me
The anger is boiling from within
to quell it i peirce through some skin
the blood slowly drips
from the blade in my grip
each blood drop
helps to make the animal stop
but when i see you
i can't control what i do
everything comes undone
my mind is gone
the animal returns
the anger it burns
the animal comes out
you scream and shout
with blank cold eyes
i watch you slowly die.
poem by Precious Arroyo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Samson
While I walk blind round and round
chained with double copper chains
to the mill
a whip draws lines on my back
to force me to work still harder
and every lash cuts into me.
Sweat ooze through my long hair
and day after day I think back
to the lion
that I ripped apart with my bare hands,
how I killed a thousand of this enemy
with the jaw-bone of a ass,
how I let the gateway with door still in it
stand on top of mount Hebron
and chased three hundred foxes
with burning tails
into their fields
and had burnt everything down
and how I asked God for water
and the Lord cleaved the earth open
and a fountain appeared.
Outside I suddenly hear a fuss
and are led by soldiers
to a festival dedicated to Baal
of which I can hear the noise
from a distance
and the people tease and mock me
while I stumble along blindly
and they make a clown out of me
and I hear the laughter
of thousands of the enemy.
Then I ask the helper who holds my hand
to lead me to the pillars
on which this temple rests
and I call onto the Lord God
and in humility ask to have power again
to Him from whom my strength comes
and that He must forgive me
for all my sins
and suddenly there is great power
flowing through me
and I reach my hands out
and lock them
around the two middle pillars,
feeling them move
and then breaking in pieces
and crumbling as if mere dust.
[Reference: Judges 13-17.]
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
On a spoor
We were hot on a fresh spoor
and the bushman tracker said
that the enemy were not far ahead
when we crossed through some dense bush
under some trees
and looking up I saw something on a branch
camouflaged, dappled into the shade
and yellow eyes peered down at me
filled with rage, with energy
and astounded more than anything
I brought the gun to bear,
but the pent up energy,
melted with languid grace
right into the tree
as if it wasn’t aware of me, aware of us
and we walked on past a clearing
into the open veldt where hip high grass
was interrupted by some green thorn bushes.
A huge male lion came bursting
out of one of the bushes
with swishing tale running at full speed
and we all froze in our strides with weapons ready
and it was almost
as if the light machinegun’s trigger was tempting me
to shoot the raging storming animal down
and at that moment I was relieved
that it was not the leopard that would jump,
from one of us after another at sheer speed
and at quick succession try to kill us all
being a expert at baboon hunting
and thus at killing primates
but the tracker had signalled for all of us
to wait when he saw it
and that party of special force soldiers
was ready to kill when that lion
came to a halt with swishing tail right in front of me
and I can still smell its foul breath
when it roared with wide-open jaws
and terror hit my stomach like a mighty fist
and I could have cut it down
blasting it right from the ground
but the ferocity, the beauty of that beast
halted me as if I was watching it in a dream
and I watched its yellow fangs and pink tongue
totally motionless trying to stare it down
and suddenly it turned around
walking back into the veldt
timid and kitten-eyed
disappearing into the grass, melting into it
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!