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The Yawp

See the recumbent lion,
it yawns, mouth stretched open
a wide silence – he is not tired,
just philosophically bored.

It is a yawp
as much as the startled jaw
of a newborn kitten
is a visible caricature of surprise
for having arrived and survived.

Sparrows yawp in the beaks of raptors,
raptors yawp also in the frozen mandibles
of a relentless winter

but pity the man or woman
 that does not yawp
at least once in a lifetime
their lips will become sewn tight
and an innocent horror 
locked in forever.

Copyright © Eric Ashford




Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry