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The Dream of an Awakening Lion

…and there he lays, emotionless and still,
as if life never happened and never will do,
yet he once was awake and the feeling was real,
and he knew how to hunt, he was no fool.

His pride was his group and his group was his pride,
And he led them to victories, from the little rabbits to the elusive deers,
but it brought some of his group no loyalty, for the jungle was cruel,
for there were some who hunted beside him, who have smiles of sharpen teeth.

Then came the day, the hunter was hunted,
He was asleep and soundly so, he heard a rustle but let it go,
and the paws came down on him, swiftly without mercy, heavy without fear,
with a peek of his bleeding eyes of red, he saw them whom he hunted with, terrible hunters.

After the damage was down, he was left to bleed, wounded but still breathing,
had he not faked death, he would surely be dead, for victims are seldom given mercy,
and there he laid, emotionless and still,
but behind his mind, are eruptions of emotions, why was he betrayed?

Could he hunt with another pack, if he lived?
The dangers of betrayal will always still be there,
paws which were meant to fight, turned against their own kind,
hunting was simple, the nature of hunters was not.

And then, he dreamt, of the deserts sand,
no lion could survive this barren hopeless, he thought,
but then it emerged, a pride of lions, they walked together to shelter each other,
the strong form the outer circle, the young form the inner, and then all was clear.

In times of need and peril, lions gather and protect each other,
for they then knew the value of integrity of a pride and pride,
when there is an environment which freezes their greed with the dangers of hunger,
they would be like family, even if they were not necessarily so.

And then, he dreamt, of the lavish jungles,
where each lion was fed till full and fat till lazy,
but then it emerged, a pride of lions, scheming behind the shadows of trees,
the shameless and weaker who wanted the lion’s share ganged up against the leader.

In times of abundance and much to celebrate, lions gather and plot against each other,
for they then knew the greed of more, pride was nothing, pride was cheap,
when there is an environment which fed their minds with poisonous possessions,
they would be like smiling neighbours, who stab us when we turned our backs.

And then, he dreamt lastly, of the mountains,
where each lion could survive if he hunted, difficult if not,
and then it emerged, a pride of lions, as friends who came together,
they gather their food from various places, meeting to share their stories and findings.

In times of freedom, each is given the chance to portray their worth,
those who hunt when needed, those who hunt early for the winter, those who think and grew,
for they knew the battle was not against each other, nor the excessive closeness of each other,
but the glory was to be won by overcoming themselves, himself over himself, that was all.

Rather to be a king of himself than a king among thieves,
Rather to be a teacher of many than to be a sage of his own,
Rather to be a friend than an enemy,
Rather to love than to hate.

Lessons which cannot be taught but learnt,
wounds that must be broken and healed,
never fully and never without scars,
ever necessary but never without warnings of them coming, blinded or with open eyes.

And there, the wounded lion peeks again, not in his mind, but with his eyes,
for there, he saw a puddle of water which shone as like a mirror,
he saw himself then, no longer as a dying betrayed, but as a recovering rebirth,
and the choice between laying still for death to come or to stand up on his legs was made.

Slowly but surely, the lion awakened, from his dreams, his hurt and himself,
Slowly but strongly, the lion licked his wounds, painful to the touch till numb to hurt,
Strongly but surely, the lion stood up again, walking towards a new home with hope,
Surely, the enlightened lion will be a lion who can now emerge as king of his world where happiness await…in the mountains…the middle lands of extremes…the balance of nature…the heavenly kingdom on Earth…

By Maynas Chua (Eric)
For those who need it, want it, read it, it’s for you.