A Lions Regret

He was like a lion

Moving with lazy grace

She a beauty

Like a field of honeysuckle

.

Slowly gently he romes

As the breeze blows the scent of her

Across his mane

.

He inhales her deeply

A sweet calm scent

But danger lurks

Just beneath the surface

.

He walks with hopeful caution

Her thoughts like bees buzzing

Dance across the Honeysuckle

.

A coolness blows

And he missteps

Or maybe it was his look of hunger

The insistent need in his eyes

He doesn't know what went wrong

.

But without warning

The field erupts

And he is blinded by

The stings of

A thousand angry bees

.

His body writhes

He roars once

Twice

Thrice

Least they close the air

From his lungs

And he fades from what he was

.

He bellows and snaps his teeth

He sprays his wrath

And vitriol

Upon the bees

They flee

For brief sanity

.

But return as quick

And twice as thick

To sting and sting again

.

He lashes at them and roars

His heart like thunder in his ears

Until finally

They relent

And he can breathe

.

Still the scent of honeysuckle

Lingers

While behind him

The field lay ruined

.

The lion lay there

Numb

The bees dying from

Expelled stinger and bite and claw

.

He lay exhausted

His rage turning to sorrow

Upon seeing the ravage field behind

.

He knew the scent of her would stay

Only for a little while to fade

But the sting will always remain

.

Should he have never walked

Amidst her beauty

Should have allowed the sting

To close his throat

Letting it all end in sleep

.

The lion lays down

Trembling and weak

With no answers

As he weeps