image from nationalgeographic.com
Lion versus Bear
“Lions and tigers, and bears, oh my.”
--Dorothy from WIZARD OF OZ.
When the Romans
used to pit
a bear versus a lion
in an arena,
the roars were
deafening.
The bear would stand
10’ tall, and swat
the lion down
repeatedly.
With each swat
pounds of flesh
were torn off;
bears always
were victors.
Glenn Buttkus
Quadrille
Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub
15 comments:
Will there ever be a victor in a game like that... I assume that the emperor had a bear-stew made from the victor anyway.
LOVE the Oz quote, Glenn! This is so gruesome, especially with those roars coming from the most dangerous species of all - the humans.
I love bears, but one cannot underestimate their power. I suppose when forced to defend oneself, if you can stand 10 feet high and swat from above, options are limited.
Wizard of Oz quotation made me smile....quadrille is from a different mood entirely. I actually found visiting those ancient arenas frightening.
Blatantly paraphrasing a quote from "Blade Runner", "The Romans were stupid and they died."
In the wild, lions hunt as a pack. I'm sure they've gnawed plenty of bear flesh in their day. At least while there are lions and bears left in the wild...
Wow- I can see where that would be the case. Gruesome but well told Glenn.
Oh that Dorothy! She led us right into a gory tale! Guess this is why the lion stays in the jungle and out of the arena. (Not bad advice, come to think of it).
I didn't know the bear could beat the lion. Now I know which one to avoid the most although I would probably avoid both of them.
OMG and what about when men faced the beasts, so glad those days are passed
Happy Monday
Much✏love
The Romans were such gems.
I am sure that was quite the battle. I think it would terrify me as they are both power animals. How could I route for either? I'd want to set them free.
What a gruesome spectacle that is.
I love the way you always find a quote to fit your poem, Glenn, and this one is particularly apt. Your quadrille reminded me of a visit to the Colosseum in Rome, many years ago. We had a brilliant guide who was spectacularly bloodthirsty in his tale-telling. Thinking of the size of the place and the number of seats, not only the animals roared – the crowd would be deafening too!
Interesting that the bears were always the victors. Where did you find that out?
Oh my! Didn't guess a bear would be victor over a lion.
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