Lion Tooth
worn like a killer bite around the neck
It breathes in unison with a heaving chest
offers protection like having eyes on the back
of the head like an invisible shield in a clenched fist
it now lives on through the soul of a Masai
the only skeleton in the wild never approached by a vulture
it is at the heart of the pride of a Zulu warrior
there’s no greater, more fearless culture
it hangs as a symbol of courage next to the heart
sharp and ready still to tare flesh from bone like a spear
wielding its fury in spite of mouth and jaws, still a beast
it would be the last gasp its victim souls ever hear
a roar like the voice of the gods, the command of death
echoing tremors across the savannah
the thrill of the chase, of the hunt, of power and stealth
the eternal strife, of the nervous chuckle of a hyena
it remembers how it instilled fear, how the wind caressed its mane
how claw and tooth worked together to bring down wildebeest
there’s no middle ground in this life, in the world of man
only the insatiable desire to rise above the rest, to be the best
Copyright © Thabang Ngoma | Year Posted 2015
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