A mother's pride

A mother's pride

By Gerlie M. Uy

I carried you four

for a hundred and ten days.

when I finally dropped

you on earth,

I chose a secluded den,

a cave it was.

The rest of us

should not see you;

(In the past, your brothers

were born in a thicket,

or a reed-bed).

I will stay with you all

for a while, while you are

still helpless

because you are all

born blind and will see

only after a week.

You are all born tiny

at a little more than a kilo,

thus, you are almost helpless,

especially when you try

to crawl on your own.

But only less than a moon past,

you can walk on your own, albeit slow.

Then, I will move you from den to den,

lifting you by the nape of your neck

in order to escape the predators

who can trace you

through the build up of your scent.

After about two moons,

you will all be ready to see

the rest of us.

You are all my pride;

welcome to our pride.

By Gerlie M. Uy

Copyright 2015

*Photo taken from web; credit reverts to owner 

*Pride is a group or family of lions. 

*This poem inspired after reading the story of Cecil, 

the trophy lion who was killed by a rich American dentist.