My father was a lion
His hair a stately mane
His voice a thunderous rumble
That made all courage drain
My father was a lion
His eyes a piercing blade
A flash of them bedazzle you
Or make you run away
My father was a lion
With strength to match his splendor
Crushing obstacles beneath him
And tearing hearts asunder
The lion was a man
His mane trimmed to scalp
His voice a swallowed wane
The lion was a man
His eyes fading hollows
The vision within them dimmed
The lion was a man
His strength a thing remembered
Within his head the same
But, alas, externally
his body became his cage
Greater Expectations 