Ramsden Park, Toronto
Big Cat
Coming up on Tuesday the 25th, we will be celebrating the
appearance of the Lion Avatar. Here is my poem to honour him.
Big Cat
He was ferocious
Yet not atrocious
Bearing a gaping mouth
Stretching from north to south
With terrifying jaws
And matching claws
Effective incisors
To intimidate all misers
He tossed his lofty mane
And exposed muscle and vein
Releasing a deafening roar
Scary to the core
You guessed, it's a lion
Invoking fear and a crying
Most amazing though
From neck to toe
The body was human
With emotions fuming
He appeared on the scene
Challenging a man who's mean
A case of child abuse
For which there's no excuse
Our tale begins with a mean man
Who hails from an evil clan
Hiranya was born
During a devastating storm
Ill omens could be seen
Conditions were extreme
And as he grew
His ego did too
He wanted to strike a deal
With the universe–an appeal
To be the most powerful person
In which case the world would worsen
To get some attention
He entered a new dimension
Standing on toes doing yogas
His purpose–most bogus
There under the strong sun
Ants ate his flesh til done
Brahma, the cosmic god
Took notice–gave a nod
Hiranya thought now he's immortal
And made his way to a portal
With a transformed body
But intelligence naughty
He became empowered
Began attacks like no coward
People cringed and curled
In a now shaken world
He conquered every planet
No question of cannot
He eradicated the thoughtful
Resurrecting the awful
Said this King of Terror
"I make no error."
Sons he had–four
Naturally to adore
Hiranya loved them all
Since they began to crawl
Son Prahlad from the start
Was very good at heart
He kept a major secret
One he'd never forget
When in the womb of mother
Came a sage like a brother
He said so explicit
"Identify as a spirit
And there is a creator
A spirit much greater."
This, Prahlad kept within
Sharing of this did not begin
Until he was five at school
In what is called Gurukool
He spoke to each classmate
Being a simple-life advocate
Hiranya then heard a report
Of sessions not inclined to support
"For those wisdom-talks held
The boy should be expelled
Challenging the authority?
This is the wrong priority!"
Due to Prahlad's spoiling
Hiranya's blood was boiling
Because of this disclosure
The affection was over
This was most intolerable
Punishment was inevitable
The torture had commenced
In no version condensed
Astonisingly results were nil
Hiranya just could not kill
Remembering what the sage said
The boy could not be pronounced dead
He came out unscathed
The father was simply amazed
"How is this possible?"
"By the power unstoppable
Present just everywhere
On land, in water, and in the air."
Tension built like a thriller
Hiranya pointed to a pillar
"Is this power there?
Absenteeism I declare!"
He struck that pillar
Like a vicious killer
The pillar shook–was alive
It shattered and out did arrive
A lion man massive
While Prahlad remained passive
With size and sound alone
Hiranya's reality was blown
The lion man hoisted him to his lap
Now caught in a trap
Hiranya was indeed a mouse
In his very own house
At the portal he did lie
Time to say goodbye
His body had diminished
Hiranya's mission finished
Prahlad did love his dad
He wished him nothing bad
He also loved the big cat
Who gave the boy a pat
He was indeed ferocious
But not at all atrocious
