he is a lion of the frozen Serengeti
thrusting himself forward with brazen
speed and nameless fleeting desire
to roil among the bearded men with
shovels who dig out the basements of
the homes to come, ending young Asim’s
romping fields of wonderment and joy
he is a lion of the morning Serengeti
meeting new dogs by cowering belly
to the ground and shuffling forward
like a reverse hunter, inching forward
to give himself up to the quarry, allowing
them dominion for the one moment
needed to recognize friend or foe, and then
the joy commences, and be it a sleek
running greyhound or a bearded terrier,
the two hear no calls but the frenzied
pace of their short-lived friendship
he is a lion of the frozen Halensee
lord and master of all he sees, until,
finally, her calls bring him back to her
and he is proud of his thick black leash
proud to be the protector
proud of her silken blonde hair furling
in the November breeze on their
cobblestone walk home, where finally,
he is the lion of the third-floor Serengeti
by
James H. Duncan
Thank you James, Asim and I are so very sad that you can't join us anymore on our walks -we miss you!!
