And now, the not knowing

the smell of burning wishes

©Shannon Mastromonico 2020

I was shadowed with lazy interest, a lion
full from gorging but still needing a kill
It tangled me in starlight
And the thrill of being seen
blinded me into separate pieces
so undetected, he could
hunt my heart
in blood-filled bites, savour
in a stunted breath, my fractures
All this, in the buzz
of a midsummer
afternoon, with nothing to do
And now, the not knowing
the smell of burning wishes
holding me hostage and in some moments
the lions face, I see clearly