Eyes of the Wild Narrator There is one person No one dares approach. Animal friend. No home. Lives with predators. Matsumi, lion with amber eyes, crouching close. Satau, leopard with blue eyes, watching from the trees. Her name is Liomi. Everyone — even me — was scared At some point. Lions and leopards are hunters. Not friends. I once gave her a million dollars. She didn’t buy a house. She stayed in the grass. They eat meat. Satau hunts. Matsumi hunts. Liomi cooks hers by fire. They eat theirs raw. That’s creepy. Why would we trust them? They sleep on the ground. On the grass. Satau and Matsumi have cubs. Pula and Zuri. Motsidi and Kazi. They pounce. They tumble. They lick their mothers’ faces. Maybe… they aren’t so bad after all. Liomi They say I’m dangerous. But I only see what they refuse to see. When an animal glares, it means I see you. Sharp teeth are not always evil. Claws are not always cruel. Matsumi is kind. Protective. Loyal. She does not kill without reason. Satau is brave. Swift. Clever. She does not kill without reason. The cubs — Pula and Zuri, Motsidi and Kazi — are curious. Playful. Alive. I just wish people would look with eyes of truth. Matsumi You fear me. But I do not roar at you. I am a protector. My mother protected Liomi’s mother. Now I protect her. That is our bond. Pula and Zuri are mine. They learn strength. They learn mercy. I keep my claws in. That is my promise. I do not need a crown. I do not need a mane. I am queen enough. Satau Do you fear? Or do you discover? Most fear. Liomi discovers. I climb trees to guard. I sharpen claws to survive. I hunt to live. Not humans. Never humans. I am Satau. Queen of leopards. Swift. Clever. Loyal. I will not fail. Pula Me miss buffalo. Me sad. Mom crouch. I crouch. Mom pounce. I pounce. Miss again. Humans funny. They walk weird. Are they toys? Are they birds? I am Pula. Small. Brave. Trying. Zuri I am better than Pula. I pounce harder. I roar louder. But I like her. Without her life would be boring. I am Zuri. Older. Stronger. The best. Motsidi I stay in trees. I watch. I learn. Climbing is my strength. Hunting? Not my favorite. I am calm. I am Motsidi. A role model. Kazi You won’t see me. Too fast. Too quiet. I move from branch to branch. Pula is foolish. Zuri is loud. Motsidi is slow. I am perfect. Correction. I am Kazi. Sneaky. Smart. Always watching. The Human Who Refuses No. I refuse to change. Teeth are teeth. Claws are claws. Hunters are hunters. You can call it “bond.” “family.” “guardian.” But lions kill. Leopards stalk. That girl is foolish. Living in grass. Sleeping in dirt. You call it loyalty. I call it danger. The Human Who Realizes I believed that once. But I watched. The lion did not strike. The leopard did not leap. The cubs played. Missed their hunts. Argued like children. There were no chains. No fear. Just trust. They did not change. I did. Final Narrator I feared their eyes once. Amber. Blue. Wild. Now I understand. They were never monsters. Only guardians of something we forgot. And maybe the wild is not something to conquer — but something to see.
My last poem on this account :( (I think)
