The Sick Lion and the Ass
A lion sunk by time's decay,
Too feeble grown to hunt his prey,
Observed his fatal hour draw nigh:
He drooped and laid him down to die.
There came by chance a savage boar,
Who trembled oft to hear him roar,
But when he saw him thus distressed
He tore and gored his royal breast.
A bull came next (ungen'rous foe),
Rejoiced to find him fall'n so low,
And with his horny-armed head
He aimed at once to strike him dead, -
He strikes, he wounds, he shocks in vain,
The lion still conceals his pain.
At length a base inglorious ass,
Who saw so many insults pass,
Came up and kicked him in the side:
'Twas this that raised the lion's pride.
He roused, and thus he spoke at length,
For indignation gave him strength:
Thou sorry, stupid, sluggish creature,
Disgrace and shame and scorn of nature!
You saw how well I could dispense
With blows from beasts of consequence!
They dignified the wounds they gave;
For none complain who feel the brave.
But you, the lowest of all brutes,
How ill your face with courage suits!
What dullness in thy looks appears!
I'd rather far (by heav'n 'tis true)
Expire by these than live by you:
A kick from thee is double death -
I curse thee with my dying breath!
The Moral
Rebukes are easy from our betters,
From men of quality and letters;
But when low dunces will affront,
What man alive can stand the brunt?
poem by Jonathan Swift
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Related quotes
The Lion
Lion. lion thou King of the beasts
always on the prowl before thy feasts.
Strong of heart, the jungle you rule.
How can it be thou art not cruel?
You stalk your prey to feed upon
and when you're sated you then move on.
Courage is with thee. You do behave
as if there's no other quite as brave.
Do all that can hear your powerful roar
refrain from you even while you snore?
Surely, there's a time when lazy and still
you're like a tabby that's had its fill.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Lion's Roar
In the jungle, a lion's roar,
Loud rumbling from it's core.
Magnificent mane of golden brown,
He is a king but wears no crown.
Predator and enemy they have two,
Human hunters, Hyenas too.
The lion and his lioness pride,
If you cross them, run, don't hide.
The roar of a Lion,
The rolling sound of thunder,
The chase of a Lion,
His prey runs asunder.
The Lion's roar is his symbol,
Of Strength, Of Leadership, Of pride,
The raw Roar sound is tribal,
His pride, so true, abide.
High And Mighty
The lion lives another day
And soon it will be night.
He doesn't care, for come what may,
He taught himself to fight.
His jaws spring open! Hear him roar!
'Beware! ' he says, 'Beware! '
High and mighty in tooth and claw,
To claim the lion's share!
Stand clear, if you love life at all!
Stand clear and let him pass!
The lion's strength helps us recall,
He's in a different class...
God gave him claws, God gave him teeth,
God gave him hunting skills.
Let others stare in disbelief,
As savagely he kills.
His thoughts are his, his actions, too.
Let others dare to judge.
Let each one hold his point of view...
From his, he will not budge.
High and mighty and taking pride
In all that he surveys.
In all the dangers he defied
And conquered nights and days.
To weather storms and yet survive...
To hunt before death strikes...
To drink again, when rains arrive...
To wander as he likes...
To live and love the mate he chose,
New life to carry on...
For even life comes to a close
And he, too, will be gone.
For now, he stares on his domain,
Its sovereign, lord and king...
His like will never come again
In any living thing...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'High And Mighty'.
poem by Denis Martindale
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The Lion Symbol
Dedicated to the United Kingdom The lion symbol of England is of its strength;
It is blessed with good friends, and life's length.
The lion has many friends;
Most sociable adorable grins. Its voice is heard among the land,
For every lion, and every man's grand.
The symbol of England to this day.
We respect her strength in every way. Our mother land we do adore,
She became our foreign shore.
So remember to ask God for strength;
Good life blessed with quality,
And not just length. A life filled with love remembering the peace dove.
Asking God to help us all.
Bless England, and America's call,
The Lion, and England's strength.
American treaty blessed with length.
poem by Iris Caudle
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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
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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
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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
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The Curse of Kehama
I charm thy life,
From the weapons of strife,
From stone and from wood,
From fire and from flood,
From the serpent’s tooth,
And the beast of blood.
From sickness I charm thee,
And time shall not harm thee;
But earth, which is mine,
Its fruits shall deny thee;
And water shall hear me,
And know thee and flee thee:
And the winds shall not touch thee
When they pass by thee,
And the dews shall not wet thee
When they fall nigh thee.
And thou shalt seek death,
To release thee, in vain;
Thou shalt live in thy pain,
While Kehama shall reign,
With a fire in thy heart,
And a fire in thy brain.
And sleep shall obey me,
And visit thee never,
And the curse shall be on thee
Forever and ever.
poem by Robert Southey
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Reciprocal Kindness The Primary Law Of Nature
Androcles, from his injured lord, in dread
Of instant death, to Lybia's desert fled,
Tired with his toilsome flight, and parch'd with heat,
He spied at length a cavern's cool retreat;
But scarce had given to rest his weary frame,
When, hugest of his kind, a lion came:
He roar'd approaching: but the savage din
To plaintive murmurs changed -- arrived within,
And with expressive looks, his lifted paw
Presenting, and implored from whom he saw.
The fugitive, through terror at a stand,
Dared not awhile afford his trembling hand;
But bolder grown, at length inherent found
A pointed thorn, and drew it from the wound.
The cure was wrought; he wiped the sanious blood,
And firm and free from pain the lion stood.
Again he seeks the wilds, and day by day
Regales his inmate with the parted prey.
Nor he disdains the dole, though unprepared,
Spread on the ground, and with a lion shared.
But thus to live -- still lost -- sequester'd still --
Scarce seem'd his lord's revenge a heavier ill.
Home! native home! O might he but repair!
He must -- he will, though death attends him there.
He goes, and, doom'd to perish, on the sands
Of the full theatre unpitied stands:
When lo! the selfsame lion from his cage
Flies to devour him, famish'd into rage.
He flies, but viewing in his purposed prey
The man, his healer, pauses on his way,
And, soften'd by remembrance into sweet
And kind composure, crouches at his feet.
Mute with astonishment, the assembly gaze:
But why, ye Romans? Whence your mute amaze?
All this is natural: nature bade him rend
An enemy: she bids him spare a friend.
poem by William Cowper
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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
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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
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Liberty To M. Le Diplomate
Thou fool who treatest with the sword, and not
With the strong arm that wields it! Thou insane
Who seest the dew-drops on the lion's mane,
But dost forget the lion! Oh thou sot,
Hugging thy drunken dream! Thou idiot
Who makest a covenant against the rain
With autumn leaves! Thou atheist who dost chain
This miserable body that can rot,
And thinkest it Me! Fool! for the swordless arm
Shall strike thee dead. Madman, the lion wakes,
And with one shake is dry. Sot, the day breaks
Shall sober even thee. Idiot, one storm
And thou art bare. Atheist, the corse is thine,
But lo, the unfettered soul immortal and divine!
poem by Sydney Thompson Dobell
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Mean Ole Lion
(charlie smalls)
Say what you wanna
But i'm here to stay
'cause i'm a mean ole lion
You can go where you're gonna
But don't get in my way
I'm a mean ole lion
You'll be standing in a draft
If you don't hear me laugh
And if you happen to come around
Well, you best not make me frown
For i just might knock you down
I'm a mean ole lion
You know i'm ready to fight
And turn your day into night
'cause i'm a mean ole lion
If you're half bright
You'll detour to the right
From a mean ole lion
All you strangers better beware
This is the king of the jungle here
And if i happen to let you slide
Don't just stand here
Run and hide
You just caught my better side
I'm a mean ole lion
Look,
You better beware
This is the king of the jungle here
And if i happen to let you slide
Don't stand here
Run and hide
You just caught my better side
I'm a mean ole lion
I'm a mean ole lion
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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(I'm A) Mean Ole Lion
(Charlie Smalls)
Say what you wanna
But I'm here to stay
'Cause I'm a mean ole lion
You can go where you're gonna
But don't get in my way
I'm a mean ole lion
You'll be standing in a draft
If you don't hear me laugh
And if you happen to come around
Well, you best not make me frown
For I just might knock you down
I'm a mean ole lion
You know I'm ready to fight
And turn your day into night
'Cause I'm a mean ole lion
If you're half bright
You'll detour to the right
From a mean ole lion
All you strangers better beware
This is the king of the jungle here
And if I happen to let you slide
Don't just stand here
Run and hide
You just caught my better side
I'm a mean ole lion
Look,
You better beware
This is the king of the jungle here
And if I happen to let you slide
Don't stand here
Run and hide
You just caught my better side
I'm a mean ole lion
I'm a mean ole lion
song performed by by Diana Ross
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dies Irae
On that great, that awful day,
This vain world shall pass away.
Thus the sibyl sang of old,
Thus hath holy David told.
There shall be a deadly fear
When the Avenger shall appear,
And unveiled before his eye
All the works of man shall lie.
Hark! to the great trumpet's tones
Pealing o'er the place of bones:
Hark! it waketh from their bed
All the nations of the dead,--
In a countless throng to meet,
At the eternal judgment seat.
Nature sickens with dismay,
Death may not retain its prey;
And before the Maker stand
All the creatures of his hand.
The great book shall be unfurled,
Whereby God shall judge the world;
What was distant shall be near,
What was hidden shall be clear.
To what shelter shall I fly?
To what guardian shall I cry?
Oh, in that destroying hour,
Source of goodness, Source of power,
Show thou, of thine own free grace,
Help unto a helpless race.
Though I plead not at thy throne
Aught that I for thee have done,
Do not thou unmindful be,
Of what thou hast borne for me:
Of the wandering, of the scorn,
Of the scourge, and of the thorn.
Jesus, hast thou borne the pain,
And hath all been borne in vain?
Shall thy vengeance smite the head
For whose ransom thou hast bled?
Thou, whose dying blessing gave
Glory to a guilty slave:
Thou, who from the crew unclean
Didst release the Magdalene:
Shall not mercy vast and free,
Evermore be found in thee?
Father, turn on me thine eyes,
See my blushes, hear my cries;
Faint though be the cries I make,
Save me for thy mercy's sake,
From the worm, and from the fire,
From the torments of thine ire.
Fold me with the sheep that stand
Pure and safe at thy right hand.
Hear thy guilty child implore thee,
Rolling in the dust before thee.
Oh the horrors of that day!
When this frame of sinful clay,
Starting from its burial place,
Must behold thee face to face.
Hear and pity, hear and aid,
Spare the creatures thou hast made.
Mercy, mercy, save, forgive,
Oh, who shall look on thee and live?
poem by Thomas Babbington Macaulay
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Wrestling Jacob
FIRST PART.
Come, O thou Traveller unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with thee;
With thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell thee who I am;
My sin and misery declare;
Thyself hast called me by my name;
Look on thy hands, and read it there;
But who, I ask thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
In vain thou strugglest to get free;
I never will unloose my hold:
Art thou the Man that died for me?
The secret of thy love unfold;
Wrestling, I will not let thee go
Till I thy name, thy nature know.
Wilt thou not yet to me reveal
Thy new, unutterable name?
Tell me, I still beseech thee, tell;
To know it now resolved I am;
Wrestling, I will not let thee go
Till I thy name, thy nature know.
What though my shrinking flesh complain
And murmur to contend so long?
I rise superior to my pain;
When I am weak, then am I strong!
And when my all of strength shall fail,
I shall with the God-man prevail.
SECOND PART.
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak;
Be conquered by my instant prayer;
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me if thy name be Love.
'T is Love! 't is Love! Thou diedst for me;
I hear thy whisper in my heart;
The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Pure, universal Love thou art;
To me, to all, thy bowels move;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
My prayer hath power with God; the grace
Unspeakable I now receive;
Through faith I see thee face to face;
I see thee face to face and live!
In vain I have not wept and strove;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
I know thee, Saviour, who thou art,
Jesus, the feeble sinner's friend;
Nor wilt thou with the night depart,
But stay and love me to the end;
Thy mercies never shall remove;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
The Sun of Righteousness on me
Hath risen, with healing in his wings;
Withered my nature's strength; from thee
My soul its life and succor brings;
My help is all laid up above;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
Contented now upon my thigh
I halt till life's short journey end;
All helplessness, all weakness, I
On thee alone for strength depend;
Nor have I power from thee to move;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
Lame as I am, I take the prey;
Hell, earth, and sin with ease o'ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,
And, as a bounding hart, fly home;
Through all eternity to prove
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
poem by Charles Wesley
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The Ruler's Daughter Raised
Could the creatures help or ease us
Seldom should we think of prayer;
Few, if any, come to Jesus,
Till reduced to self-dispair:
Long we either slight or doubt him,
But when all the means we try,
Prove we cannot do without him,
Then at last to him we cry.
Thus the ruler when his daughter
Suffered much, though Christ was nigh,
Still deferred it, till he thought her
At the very point to die:
Though he mourned for her condition,
He did not entreat the Lord,
Till he found that no physician
But himself, could help afford.
Jesus did not once upbraid him,
That he had no sooner come;
But a gracious answer made him,
And went straitway with him home:
Yet his faith was put to trial
When his servants came, and said,
Though he gave thee no denial,
'Tis too late, the child is dead.
Jesus; to prevent his grieving,
Kindly spoke and eased his pain;
Be not fearful, but believing,
Thou shalt see her live again:
When he found the people weeping,
Cease, he said, no longer mourn;
For she is not dead, but sleeping,
Then they laughed him to scorn.
O thou meek and lowly Savior,
How determined is thy love!
Not this rude unkind behavior,
Could thy gracious purpose move:
Soon as he the room had entered,
Spoke, and took her by the hand;
Death at once his prey surrendered,
And she lived at his command.
Fear not then, distressed believer,
Venture on his mighty name;
He is able to deliver,
And his love is still the same
Can his pity or his power,
Suffer thee to pray in vain;
Wait but his appointed hour,
And thy suit thou shalt obtain.
poem by John Newton
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Lion In The Winter
Lion in my winter.
Im a lion with no crown.
You wanna make me big man , a star on a screen.
Some kind of james brown or something in between.
But when I ask for money you smother me in charms.
I cant live on glory when your bendin both my arms.
I , I was a lion in winter.
And man I had friends for miles around.
I was a lion in my winter.
What goods a lion lord, without a crown.
Youre living in a cave man ,upon your marble throne.
You think you own the heavens, but youve got to be alone.
You know I prayed for sunshine, a woman with my name.
I dont want to live man, you gave away the game.
I, I was a lion in winter.
And man I had friends for miles around.
I was a lion in my winter.
What goods a lion lord , without a crown.
(repeat last verse and fade out )
song performed by by Bee Gees
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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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
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Survival Of The Fittest
When the lion roars and makes himself heard
all in the jungle shall listen
As he stalks his prey from hunger he feels
on his face his eyes do glisten.
And as he's heard all beasts do scatter
in fear, lest they be prey.
Wildebeasts, gnus and even gazelles
try to get away.
For to end up in the bowels means death
and survival comes to an end.
And the anxious ones who make their escape
nervously make their wend.
Luck was with them on this day
and so they graze and feed,
unaware of when the lion will roar.
They're intent on only their need.
Survival of the fittest in every jungle
reminds me of how we act.
For the world at large is just the same
as we are attacked
by the strong and mighty who feast upon
the weakest of all men.
And so the world we are living in
is just like the lion's den.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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