why red paw?

Red Paw

Red Paw
Is a snow leopard
Rare strong and beautiful

She is fast and fierce
Quick to pounce

No one has noticed
That the paw is red
From blood
She does not limp
Denies pain in public

The paw bleeds
When I am hurt or sad
She leaps to my defense
She is the second line of defense
After Ogre Anger
I am learning to control
Ogre Anger
When she rages
I step back
Say: what hurts?
Am I sad?
I can hold Ogre Anger inside

As she subsides
Then for a moment
There is a voice who turns against me
My fault that I am hurt or sad
Do I deserve it?

Red Paw
Will not stand for that

She attacks that voice
She is viciously funny
Sarcastic and ironic

If Red Paw
And Ogre Anger aren’t enough

My third defense
Is illness

I get a cold
I lose my voice
When it is too painful
To speak

Red Paw runs in the snow
Leaving a print
With blood
She reassures me
That it doesn’t hurt much
I am deeply grateful
To Red Paw

When I am calm again
She will curl in front of a warm fire
And lick the wound

6/19/06

starting a blog

I have a computer genius friend who is here helping me set up my first blog.