My mother turned 70 years old this week. I wanted to give her something more meaningful, that spoke to what I see in her, so I wrote her this fable. My mother is a powerful, fierce woman. Seeing her tear up as she read, I felt relief and joy. Life can pass by so fast, but in that moment, time stopped- thanks to the lioness and the cat.
The Lioness and the Cat (translated from Portuguese)
From the top of a tree
jumps a lioness,
attacking a rat.
She realizes it's a cat,
a more subtle, affectionate and diminutive
version of herself.
The lioness rises
and paws the little feline,
encouragingly.
"Come", she says, "come see
the rest of the savanna.
Cats like us are needed
in this unusual, modern world
capable of ripping people's souls out.
Let's hunt sadness and hatred down,
let's bring rebellion, courage and tenderness
to those who deserve it,
and to those who don't know yet that they want it"
(For the Portuguese speaking among you, here's is the original version)
Do alto d'uma arvore
Salta uma leoa
Atacando um rato
Apercebe-se que e' um gato,
uma versão mais subtil, carinhosa e diminuta
de si própria
Levanta-se a leoa
e da' uma patada,
encorajando o pequeno felino
"Vem", diz-lhe, "vem ver
o resto da savana.
Gatos como nós
fazem falta neste mundo
insólito, moderno e
capaz de arrancar a alma das pessoas.
Vamos caçar tristezas e ódios,
vamos trazer rebeldia, coragem e ternura
A quem merece, e a quem
ainda não sabe que assim quer"
Image by Birger Strahl
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