I wonder if you know,
In easy walking reach,
I walk daily to the beach
Which faces your house,
Behind trees, a river, and a bay,
A mile away?
I was a lion,
And now I’m a mouse—
I held you in my arms.
We were king and queen
On every bay and inlet
And every river in-between.
I would steer you into shadows
Where marsh-reeds grew
And declare my love.
And I would kiss you.
But now I watch
The sun dissolve in this hazy sky
Above tracks where occasionally
Trains go by,
Distantly, between you and me.
I wonder if you’re home
And if you’re thinking of me.
The lion lived in your head
And was invited into your house
To stain your sheets—
But now I know: true love
Is not a lion. True love is a mouse.
I was never a lion.
Upon the marsh. Or in your house.