"Lioness" & "the stars aren’t out tonight" by Cameron Rife

Lioness

How I would be fibbing

if i claimed misery hadn’t ever been faked

in a keenness for contempt,

that i haven’t

snaked past

a bathing lizard on a rock

with porcelain skin

slithering into a dark hole

with dirt for chuckles

and overdrawn tales.

Were they ever true to me at all?

I hope I gather the strength

of the lioness

tending to its cub

to moult this layer of scales,

leaving them on a plain

trail map so my past faults

can feel the crunch of dried out

versions of me beneath their feet and know,

know I am a bright emerald,

green in the sun

glistening somewhere

on this crystal stream

of luck and love.

“the stars aren’t out tonight”

I skipped—they are always, always out

I was told a fortnight ago.

I didn’t

even realize

they’re still shining

on a skyscrapers tip

as the people prance,

the cheetah wanting its show.

They hide, needing rest  

or I like to tell myself.

—no, no—

it has nothing to do with

the way it’s been treated.

Isn’t it beautifully,

beautifully broken

that they shine nonetheless,

living

as a reflection of our eyes,

sitting on the cusp

of a

pupil.

Cameron is a poet based in Denver, Colorado who draws inspiration from the intersection of nature and various aspects of human experiences and emotions. Aside from writing, Cameron is passionate about mental health working in a pediatric psychiatric unit while also pursuing her master's degree in counseling. You can support her art and find other publications on her Instagram- @camrifepoetry.