[24] "The Lion Has a Job Interview"

The Lion Has a Job Interview

By Deidre Price

I came prepared,

had my mane tucked in,

my nails polished.

I even ate before I came

to keep my instincts at bay.

I entered the cage to the sound of a gate

closing behind me, keys jangling

in an unidentified pocket.

They came prepared, too,

a mural of suits, hose, and heels,

cold, memorized lines paired with warm faces

and a script held out like meat on a stick,

a ball to keep me half busy.

Each took his turn circling

while each question closed in,

the weight of nothing feeling like something,

as it pressed into my head,

pushing out ordinary trick after trick.

I know the routine:

when to pounce, when to wait,

what sounds to make,

when to take the bait,

how to get a reward.

They know the routine:

I'm a lion.

And that's why it takes six of them

to one me.