The Leopard
The eyeballs on her behind are like fire
Leaping and annoying
The space they just passed
Just like fire would do
The ground have no mouth to complain
And the girl is not braver herself
She is beautiful in her spotted
Leopard ensemble. Heartless so
To keep her fashionalbe in New York
Leopards are dying
Crude comments flutter around her
At lunchtime. She sure look good
She remembers nine banishing speeches
More powerful than this is the seam
Of the leotard under her clothing
Her tail in the leotard is never still
The seam!
She feels it too familiar on her leg
As some crumb says something suggestive
The leopard embracing around her
Is too chic to leap and strike
Her thoughts fall back to last semester’s karate
Underneath, the leotard crouches up on her thigh
It is waiting for its terrible moment!
Copyright Credit: Lorenzo Thomas, “The Leopard” from Chances are Few. Copyright © 1979 by Lorenzo Thomas. Reprinted by permission of Blue Wind Press.
Source: Chances are Few (Blue Wind Press, 1979)