The Golden Child

The panther steals across the countryside,
Destroying all the sheep who trust in him –
The virtuous will all be made to hide,
The clouds will close and make the sun turn dim.

The panther drags the broken car across
The dark abyss; the drunken driver turns
The panther into ever-greater loss
Until the country smolders, smolders, burns.

The panther salivates, the acorns grow
In number as the squirrels disappear
Across the countryside. His teeth will show
Now that the country lives in constant fear.

The panther tempts the world with golden eyes
That promises all fantasies. Men’s souls
Are slowly lost in all their desperate sighs
And, helpless, end life torn and full of holes.

The panther rages as a tyrant to
The moment when his master sobers up
And takes the reigns again. The panther’s through
Now that the blood wine’s drained from his gold cup.