The Lioness is Loose

The Lioness is Loose

The lioness is loose tonight
somewhere in the savannahs
of middle Tennessee--

She roams the hedgerows, stalks 
the ranch-homes of deepest suburbia.
Her fluorescent eyes flicker 
through tangles of forsythia
swaying innocently.

She has never been free before-
her home a concrete kennel
off Highway 100--

and that makes her a danger
to children and to pets
and stranded motorists,

or so the TV anchors chatter,
providing updates on the threat
every half-hour

while Animal Control patrols 
fairways, culverts, cul-de-sacs,
even the dumpster of the Dipsy-Doodle.

But for now the lionness is loose--
the kids stand tip-toed, peering
out second story windows,

the dog is grateful to be indoors,
and the cat pads silently across 
the kitchen floor.