When Lions Meet

He didn’t so much as walk, he prowled,
strutting through the late-night crowd,
Jackal-girls and Hyena-boys giggling behind
but he paid them no never mind.

He is the King of this grimy parade;
self-possessed and indeed, self-made;
a lion sure of his place in the pride,
certain his will won’t be defied.

Yet there is always a roguish young buck
on the lookout to change his luck.
The scavengers want Him to call the lad's bluff;
he had better be ready if he’s going to act tough.

The King pretends he hardly exists;
a challenge the boy finds hard to resist.
The big man isn’t having anything of the sort,
but alas, he knows he has one resort.

So they face off across the city jungle,
neither willing to kick start the rumble.
The hyenas and jackals all spit and curse
and wait to see who will come off worse.

But before the fight can truly start,
a ruckus in the crowd causes them to part;
in the jungle, the lions are its heart and soul,
but in the city, it’s the pigs who are in control.