Dear Lion, Love Duck Poem by Janine Alyssa Navarro

your paws are severely bruised
claws almost gone
your tail droops to the ground
your eyes are blinded
by the sand storms
that enveloped you at night,
blinding you ‘til the next morning

lone and afraid
as you circled your plateau
the familiar shadows
the familiar sounds
were no longer within reach
you roared into the distance
only for it to bite you back

I am helpless to your woes
but still I attempt
to hum you a melody
that would help you remember
how it once felt
to listen to the zesty zephyr
as it tries to patch you up

you turn away in haste
but I understand,
I’ll sit on this lone rock
still yellow, with a faint quack
waiting until you grow back life
until you heal your scars
enough to recognize my wings

Love,
Duck