LEOPARD EYES PULCHRITUDE AT A ‘JUNGLE’ WATERING HOLE
THE HUMAN RACE
A DARK LIQUID OASIS WHERE YOUNG AND OLD CATS MINGLE
The old leopard
sits in the shade at a
jungle watering hole
known by local natives in
the Manhattan Beach Village
as The Coffee Bean.
Waiting and watching,
he crouches stealthily
sipping on his mocha latte.
He’s seen better days.
His vision is waning.
His quickness is gone.
The fangs are yellowing,
loose and brittle.
The muscles no longer
ripple beneath taut skin.
He’s losing fur
that once was coarse,
ocher, and speckled with
myriad shaped black jots.
He watches morsels
parade by innocently
slurping the magic liquid
that makes life
so socially grand.
But the memories of
his wild predator days
still linger in his heart.
Ancient and pumping,
it’s still
the heart
of a leopard.
— Boot LeBaron —