by Tina Chang
I chewed into the wreck of the world,
into the neckbone of the past that pursued me.
All the while, I moved toward extinction,
bearing the burden of damage, language of the protector.
A great apocalyptic wheeze adorned me with sand.
I foraged, first to find light dappling the leaves,
then breathed into an infinite power, feminine rust,
a coppery taste of salvage, leading me into a canopy
of the future. My mother was a mother of mothers,
modern before she was ancestral.
She was a woman who morphed into feline, back
to her human self before I woke each morning.
I lived not to sate my appetite but to crush it.
On my haunches, I craved what could not be seen.
I am desire. I am survival.
I sit under the tree waiting for hunger.
"Lion" is the title poem of Tina Chang's forthcoming collection LION (W.W. Norton, 2026). It was first published by the Academy of American Poets on March 30, 2022. Copyright © 2022 by Tina Chang.
There’s a tea party in the sky today: a rare alignment between the sun in Leo, the constellation Leo, and the star Sirius. They’re sitting down to purr and roar. They’re lounging around the river, leaning on each other. The Lion’s Gate Portal is an astrological and spiritual event every August 8th (8/8), which is today.
In ancient Egyptian astrology, the rising of the star Sirius was connected to the flooding of the River Nile, renewing and enriching the deep black soil annually. Today, portals swing open and benedictions, beauty and abundances spill over their banks. We are invited through the gate.
May the lion in you remember its own roar.
May the cub in you roll around with its cute, furry legs up.
May your pack, your pride, be safe and lively.
Light a candle and write for five minutes— or just sit at the portal and take time to breathe before you walk through it.
What bright hope glints down in the green grass?
What are you still carrying that’s ready to be set down?
What are you ready to call in — and what would you need to believe to receive it?
When have you been whimpering lately, and what would it feel like to roar instead?
What is already working that you haven’t said thank you for, out loud?
What is one tiny action that can make our collective brave today?
and a song to lift you up…
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.