The Lion and the Gypsy

The Lion and the Gypsy For some, life is simple in raw assertiveness, With no disarmament of conscience, alertness. Beneath a moonlit sky, a heartbeat from closed eyes, The wild beast presides with the power over life. Sleep, child. Water to drink and music to compose, Let the restraining odour fill the lion’s nostrils. Whose appetite is satiated and mind perplexed Questions itself, ‘is it living or is it dead?’ The gypsy, tranquil, reclines on the sands of time, While the big cat is stymied by its unresolved find. His, the will to survive with the instinct to kill, to eat, Hers, the want of love to create and the desire for peace. Where now destined the lion and gypsy shift, The outcome determined and the conclusion swift. *** Note: ‘The Lion and the Gypsy’ is an ekphrastic poem perspective of the 1897 painting "The Sleeping Gypsy" by Henri Rousseau (1844-1910).