The Lion’s Prey Poem by Allan T. Muir

I’m in the lion’s den
Whilst among my friends
I wear the mask
I wear the disguise
The lion must not know I am alive
For though I am amongst friends
I must never drop my guard
For once I make that fatal mistake
The lion will hunt me to the ends of time
Though I can walk amongst it perfectly well
But at any moment
The lion might get a chance to dine
Upon the flesh of my necessary lies.
For once I was the lion
And the lion was the prey
But oh how the tables have turned
Upon that fateful summers day
The air was cool on that noon
When the day had gone awry
I had to hide myself
So I might not be found out.
But oh how I wished I had been found out
And the lion would discover me
For then the lies I had told
Would have been in vain
But alas the fates have spoken
I must hide everyday

The lion must never know
The nature of my lies
For if I am found out I must surly die
Though I have done no wrong
My necessary lies will be seen as off beam
But my reasons were sound
My judgment good
The evil of my lies is naught.
For I had lied to save my friend
But in turn I became the prey
Forever trying to escape my fate
To no longer be the witness
Of what my lies have permitted
Though there is no evil
To be had upon this day
The happiness of others
Is someone’s cries of pain
For that happiness may never come to me
For as long as they are the lion
And I am but the prey.