Lioness

Reclining on her flat rock divan
     queen of all she surveys
golden lioness eyes unblinking
     watching…waiting… guarding
relentlessly cognizant of the territory
      that surrounds her with constant motion
         teaming life of her animal neighbors. 

Hunting for the day successful
     she has delivered the feast she and her sisters
     slew for their ravenous lion king
           who waited patiently.    
   
On the soft gold mattress of savannah grasses
      three lion cubs sleep soundly
      beside their mother’s resting place
All of them shaded and cool beneath the acacia tree
       with its huge spreading arms
       like an umbrella shielding them
            from the blistering sun of the Serengeti plain.

Males and females have their roles
     no need to compete one against the other
     for position in the system
          comfortable in their own skins.

Lions protect their pride
     size of their manes show prowess
     lesser males know to keep away
           this PRIDE is mine
Lionesses know
      they need to show respect
      to the lion whose only job is to protect
             to keep her and her cubs safe.

Lioness understands she and her lion
   have a good system
    an effective partnership
     a beneficial cooperation of responsibilities
             for the future of their kind.

©Corinne Mustafa
   November, 2012