by Douglas Lanzo
Copyright 2025

First published in Academy of the Heart and Mind (October 17, 2025)

Flashing ambered orange, her eyes
pierce tall savannah grass,
spotting shadows of horned beasts
grazing contentedly under matted
shade of acacia trees,
as she tracks on padded paws
through yellow-seeded grass.

Downwind of the herd
the undetected hunter
flexes her spine and accelerates,
pulsing with each clawed bound
gripping sun-scorched earth
as she powers quickening strides,
turning in tight arc toward
the unsuspecting herd
of blue-sheened grazers at speed,
eliciting startled snorts
and bucking of curved horns
as black, cloven hooves plant
furiously against dry earth,
triggering a mild clap
of dust midst thunder
as they roar across vast plains. 

Searching for the lightest nearby prey,
the spotted feline beelines toward
a yearling whose dark brown eyes and
hurried movements emanate fear,
the huntress’ lithe body closing distance
as her paws clutch and release effortlessly,
churning pistons of death
a breath away from
the panting wildebeest.

Suddenly, the yearling zig-zags
in desperation,
forcing the feline to turn
side to side on a dime,
mirroring jagged movement
thrashing grass and earth. 

Exerting herself to the fullest,
the predator bursts alongside
the striding wildebeest
surging until
its eyes lock with its frantic prey,
then lunges sideways –
paws locked, as both tumble through
grass sheared by their struggle.

Bucking and kicking,
the wildebeest fights valiantly
until overcome by the suffocating
neck-clamp of a full-grown cheetah,
two-times lighter
but four times fiercer
than the outmatched wildebeest,
still by the time three cheetah cubs
join their triumphant mother,
staring curiously into
eyes now devoid of life.

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