Lions of a land surrounded by seas

.

Time and place: Renaissance Florence

.

From watch-posts, pedestals, columns,

they leapt to life―claws out,

jaws wide―their roars not imagined

by those dreaming in safety.

With strength they pursued vagrants, who too

were prowling―worse than any lion―

for they bore the image of the Eternal

yet roamed the night to thieve and maul.

One old guardian, full-maned but thin-shanked,

awoke still half-stone, claws clutching

shining spheres of marble

to menace and wield. At times

the night, under the Italian skies,

and the dim streets, were thronged

with legions of lions seeking vengeance

for the corruption of their City.

Out of love, they nuzzled real lions―

caged at street corners―

making them think they were

simply their own magnificent shadows―

And so, in ancient stone Justice still lived and redressed wrongs

in Florence which proclaimed herself its Guardian.