Roberta Writes – Everything We See #poetry #d’Verse #wildlife

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This poem is inspired by a picture prompt by Melissa from Mom With a Blog. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/03/19/everything-we-see/

Picture caption: René Magritte, Homesickness (1940), oil on canvas

Will you wake, sleeping lion

Heed the scent of danger

embedded in the wind

Widen your eyes and see

the Fallen Angel

Who has betrayed you

He, of the black wings

and rusty halo

Who took your trust

reduced it to ashes

and scattered it

from His self constructed platform

of pride, corruption and greed

***

Will you rise, sleeping lion

Raise your voice in a great roar

Call for justice and equality for all

Ready yourself for the great fight

that lies ahead

Or, will you slumber on

Allow your dreams

just visible beyond His platform

to submerge behind

the dark shadow He casts

Until they disappear

Completely

***

I chose the above painting to write about after reading Merril’s poem here: https://merrildsmith.org/2024/03/19/together-apart/. Thank you for the inspiration, Merril.

While I was visiting Merril’s lovely site, I discovered this wonderful review by Merril of my book, Lion Scream. Another huge thank you to Merril. You can read her review here: https://merrildsmith.org/2024/03/18/overdue-book-review-robbie-cheadle-lion-screams/

And now for some wildlife pictures:

Lion waking up from his day-long resting. My, what big teeth he has.
Female cheetah snoozing in the veld
This juvenile male lion is yawning
Okay, woman, I’m getting up …
That’s it, I’m going without you.
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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

120 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Everything We See #poetry #d’Verse #wildlife”

  1. Wonderful poem, Robbie. ‘Wake up sleeping lion’ is a powerful line that is both a metaphor for nature as well as can be read literally. Your photographs as usual are stunning. I read Merril’s poem. Your poem goes perfectly well with it.

    Congratulations on the review, dear Robbie. I agree with Merril. Your book is much more than poetry. It celebrates wildlife in its entirety.

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  8. Hi Robbie, thank you for the kind words.

    Your poem is such a powerful message and metaphor–the sleeping lion awakens and watch out. I also love that you’ve seen real lions (and understand their plight).

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  10. I like your poem very much, Roberta; it addresses the issues embedded in the painting; and I love yr photos of the lions for their warmth and humor; I was in a morose mood till I read your post; thank you 🙂

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  11. Congratulations on the book, Robbie! I love lions, I’m a Leo, and all kind s of cats, so thank you for the wonderful images you posted with your poem, which I enjoyed. I love the phrase ‘scent of danger embedded in the wind’ and the thought of the lion raising its voice in a great roar.

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  44. I love your poem. It’s very different than Merrill’s, going deeper into the place that doesn’t exist into motives. Your words take a lot of vision to write. The lion doesn’t look betrayed, but we know he doesn’t belong there, and got there via the fallen angel.” Fascinating.

    “Who has betrayed you

    He, of the black wings

    and rusty halo

    Who took your trust

    reduced it to ashes

    and scattered it”

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  47. What an awesome poem, Robbie. Now you know, I am not big on analyzing poetry, but I feel like we humans are that dark angel when it comes to animals and what is happening to them in our world.

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