The Snowy Leopard Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

I am lithe.
I am stealthy.
I am lethal.

I watch.
I stalk.
I protect.
I pray.

Yes, pray.
You see, I am the high priestess of this Nepalese retreat.
The guardian of the Entrance to Everything.
No one comes to the Mother but through me.

Like the Sword of Damocles
I hover above your head.
Like the Sphinx
I am a living riddle.

Approach me with caution.
Approach me with courage.
Approach me with pure intentions.
Or turn back now.

I promise you
I will show no mercy.
What I guard is precious.
What I guard is priceless.
What I guard is sacred.

What I guard is your very immortal soul.
Unless you have come in search of eternal salvation,
Willing to face the fires of divine condemnation,
You have no business here.
Be gone!

I will test you.
I will try you.
I will save you.

But only if you give yourself as a living sacrifice.
No, it is not your blood I feed on,
It is your love.
Give yourself to me in unfettered fealty
And I will free you from your inner demons:
Guilt, doubt, hate, lust.
Offer yourself up to the fire in my eyes
Gaze into my soul, which is simply a mirror of yours.
I guarantee that you will not like what you see:
Cowardice, avarice, prejudice, impotence.
Now watch how each of those drops away
As if you were shedding layer after layer of filth
As you face it, name it, confess to it, and then release it.
For only you can condemn yourself.
Only you can hate yourself.
Only you can forgive yourself.

I can only love you.
I can only hold you safe in my clutches.
Dangling by your own desires.
Strangling on your own doubts.
Until you finally stop struggling
And surrender to me completely.

Show me your throat.
Offer me your flesh.
Let your body die
So that your soul can live.
Forever.