The Taming

Oh, beautiful she-cat of the night,
panther high on the plain,
wild, untamed, free;
she is so dark, her black pelt
covering a multitude of scars;
her eyes–more beautiful
than the midnight sky,
filled with sadness, hope, longing,
desire, need.....filled with something indefinable.

She sits alone and watches the
world, casting a mournful eye
toward the beautiful one in the distance;
somehow the great cat knows she comes
for her tonite, and she growls with uncertainty.

Gradually, softly, the beautiful one comes
near the dark cat, who bears her teeth
and fears her, yet loves her deeply;
her tender white fingers touch the black
panther’s fur, at the nape of the neck.

The growl begins, and the white fingers
never move; there is no fear in her dark brown
eyes as she strokes the cat;
her claws glow in the night, but she allows
the beautiful one to stay with her,
despite her fears of what may happen.

She whispers in a mysterious language
to the she-cat, and the language is one
only she and the cat know;

Submitting to the beautiful one,
the cat retracts her claws,
buries her face in her lap,
and purrs, as though singing a love-song,
with her soft, animal groans.