Standing on the sandy beach, gazing at the ocean, The waves reflecting my mood through their gentle motion. The ocean was calm, gentle waves rolling back and forth My mind in repose, reflective, absorbing nature's worth. A part of me noted a presence, standing to the side and back I knew not what it was, was still, dead on its track. I gently turned and saw a well groomed handsome Lion Its face as a three year old, its limbs made of iron. The Lion stood still, majestic, confident, glorious Our eyes connected, souls merged, the Lion was I, curious Perhaps it was my lion heart, perhaps my gift divine Perhaps an aspect that could not be bound within a line. I saw the Lion was strong, it was a strength of mine And who knows, perhaps in some realm, I was the Lion. But how can I share that with the world? Who could understand? They'll all think me arrogant, this a ploy to demand command. But majesty, power and glory, not one can fake No matter how long others sleep, all will eventually wake And majesty, power and glory, no one can hide Like a rider upon his horse, cannot help but ride. With one more mutual glance, we began to walk Our communication perfect, no need to jest, nor talk. And like a dog and master, we walked side by side Which dog, which master, mattered not, for we in each reside. Our deepest hopes and fondest joys, it was fate unfolding I and Lion were both one, nor shore nor ocean withholding. For when your Lion walks by you, you understand in full Nor word, nor picture, sound nor sight are sufficient tool. Then in the distance, I saw one with his dog Perhaps that was his Lion, for prince appears as frog. As he got closer he shifted shape, I could not tell a lie Was he, then she, then he, stranger, familiar, I knew not why. Perhaps this person was none other than the whole world In my mirror of beach walk, was male, female, young, old. But as soon as he appeared, my Lion so magnificent Transformed into a sitting pussy cat, quiet, timid, insignificant I wondered why this was so, why the stranger had such effect To change my lion heart, my gift divine, into this kitten act; Do I doubt my Lion? Or is this my humble show? To turn my brilliant sun into such worthless glow? And how this stranger? Is this dog a dog? Or is this the way his royal prince is disguised as frog? Do we hide our gifts divine? Are we afraid to show Our majestic glorious sunlight, fearing a blinding glow? I also noted, though we talked, his dog kept his distance Respecting my sitting pussy cat, it offered no resistance. For animals see much more than we, though they may not tell They know what is gift divine, and what fear of hell. We then parted, went our separate ways My kitten back to Lion, one worthy of praise. We walked on a while more, along the sandy shore To the warming sun and cooling breeze, we exposed our core. Like two playful cubs, without cause or reason Wrestle, roll in the sand, in life's youngest season The Lion above and I below, and roll and change our role And I on top, the Lion beneath, two bodies but one soul. With one more mutual glance, we both decide Attack the rolling waves of water and the ocean tide Like dogs chasing ducks and sticks, into the waves we go Cool and wet we dip right in, we bathe in ocean flow And out we come, soaked and drenched, trying to dry our wet And in the sun, on a bed of sand, we descend and let Warmth from above, patience from within, and the gentle breeze To dry our bodies, to rest our minds, our souls to seize. For some timeless time we sit, watching the waves roll in We warm and dry, rest in peace, far away from sin In glory, power and majesty, we sit one with nature We bask in the sun, flow with the breeze, each other nurture. The Lion and I sitting, in unison we glance What beautiful harmony, it our way, our dance Like two young lovers, in a trance of romance We sense our privacy disturbed, we dare and take a chance. We look behind amazed, astonished, in surprise We see a crowd semi-circling us, together we rise They astounded with my courage, the Lion majestic, powerful, fierce The cameras flashing, the ah's and hum's, reality my senses pierce. One more glance, we walk away, needless to say My Lion no more a kitten, we hope they leave us, we pray The crowd keeps a safe distance, and in amazement follow My Lion and I enjoying our walk, the crowd's praises hollow We walk our path in wholesome joy, the crowd in hypnotic trance Follow, walk, run, dance, jump, emulate, model, prance No matter who comes our way, my Lion is now a Lion Epitomizes power, glory, innocence, joy and love of mine. And then tired of followers, bored with mindless crowd We look, we smile, we turn, we pause, my Lion roars aloud The crowd understands there and then, for although mindless, they Know where they are accepted, and whence they must sway. They stop there in their track, immobile, fearful, silent My Lion and I turn aside, into the forest god sent The crowds watch in silence, as we disappear from sight For being with my Lion is my God given right. And we each have a Lion, our divine heavenly gift Our Lion is our joy and love, our wisdom, life uplift At one time or another, we shy away as though Our brilliant light our Lion, a kitten, candle's glow And if we are lucky, in life soon or late We may be caught off guard, glowing at full rate For life is to walk with Lions, and not hide them as cats To find joy, live in glory, not hide in caves like bats.