Lion of Lucerne by dl mattila

Lion of Lucerne

dl mattila

A lion weeps in the fold of Gletschergarten
sandstone sanctuary for a lair:
his muted cries betray a bond unbeaten,

prodigious sorrow his steadfast burden to bear.
The pond below collects the tears loss renders:
an aqueous vigil for those no longer there.

Eternal allegiance, cast in stone, engenders
one paw upon the fallen fleur-de-lis.
Impaled and wounded the regal lion surrenders:

anguish enshrined for all eternity.
Gentle winds caress inscripted brethren.
Colossal silence filters through the trees.

Ordained forever that all not be forgotten,
a lion weeps in the fold of Gletschergarten.


About the Author

dl mattila is completing the Master of Arts in Writing with a concentration in poetry at Johns Hopkins University. Her forthcoming and former publication credits include Blast Furnace, Foothill: a journal of poetry, the Maier Museum of Art 2011 Ekphrastic Poetry web page, Poets Against War (Canada), Shot Glass Journal, Symmetry Pebbles, Verse Land, The Applicant, and The Washington Post.