We danced at the edge of a mythical forest
upon outcroppings that skirted the sea
poised on the cliffs between heaven and hell
with our urges and instincts roaming free

We were sleek and stealthy in our bodies
and powerful were the forces we bore
when merging as one from concealment
suddenly released from an invisible door

It was instinct of the panther within us
lain in muscle that was rippled and torn
with a ferocity built-in from a legend
that was present before we were born

It was then she and I came together
there to dance in the way of the wild
a controlled chaos bred from inception
beating foreign to the weak and the mild

It was there she and I partook in pleasure
in the forms our feral bodies would mesh
the panthers of the night in our frenzy
feasting in each other’s blood and flesh

This dance was a clear and present danger
that these fires within would always burn
on a dark night such as this in our forest
from which there is no escape or return

But to deny our existence would be futile
and attempts at evasion would be wrong
for the instinct of the panther is stronger
and these desires would always belong

© 2003 Amor Sabor

To Mari Laureano "La Pantera" from "The Aztec Panther"
*Dedicated to Mari Laureano who continues to inspire me greatly with her genuine friendship and artistic writing