[photo by D Byrd, google images]
The white lions
of Timbavati
are wandering
through my dreams.
Sent by the Sun God,
their appearance prophesied
by shamans of old,
they are considered sacred,
the embodiment
of the link
between lion and man
from the days when
they shared caves,
and lion offered itself
to man to eat,
as a gift,
when otherwise
he would have
surely
perished.
Murdering such
sacred beings is,
of course,
unthinkable,
but when they appeared,
according to prophecy,
in the 1970's,
being rare,
they were hunted
almost to extinction.
In this way did
man repay
lions
for the gift of
his survival,
so disconnected
have we become
from the deep
interconnectedness
of man, beast and planet.
We turn from this
vital symbiosis
at our peril.
Meanwhile,
the white lions
of Timbavati
are all gone
and our souls,
even if we don't know it,
weep for their loss.
being rare,
ReplyDeletethey were hunted
almost to extinction.
Of course. Talk about knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. People, as a race, are so fantastically asinine.
We have NO appreciation for the lessons and love that nature has to teach us. This is very beautiful Sherry ... and you have taught me something, for that I say "thank you."
ReplyDeleteSo very sad, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteWhen we make no room for others, we are diminished ourselves. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem about a very sad truth in our lives, Sherry.
ReplyDeletePamela
Sherry, I loved this, sad as the theme is. White lions are beautiful creatures. Too many species are being decimated by men who poach - and usually sell a small part of the animal for "male enhancement." Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the mythology as well. You are a true Earth Mother. Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/women-woman-2/
sad and sadly universal
ReplyDeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteIn the lands of the lions, man is hunted and
some would end up at the zoo to be ogled by other lions. Food tossed on the floor and man gobbles hungrily. My, what if we trade places? Whew! wouldn't think about it!
Thank you for drawing attention to this rare and beautiful creature, Sherry. The recessive gene which produces these magnificent creatures is increasingly scarce, but all hope is not lost:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/wc_sanbona.htm
I love the way you end the poem, Koko. So apt, so vivid. I could and still feel the loss.
ReplyDeleteSherry, this was moving! It is amazing how much has been lost! Thanks for writing this!xXx
ReplyDeleteI love this, Sherry, and am never disappointed to learn something new when I come here. You can almost touch the Spirit of this lion and feel the sadness of the loss.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful poem, Sherry! Having seen African lions in the wild and breathed in their essence, I am only too aware of what we risk losing through our inattention and greed!
ReplyDelete"lion offered itself
ReplyDeleteto man to eat" ??
Never heard of this before... would have thought it more likely to be the other way around! LOL