Where the bear-blown briar patch meets silken flower-tree,
the mythic baobabs crowd midnight stalker-cats who swarm
with Lady Landowar caught center-bound in a tight net
of hungry clenching maws. Lips flash red, eyes pure black, hair brown
as water nettles, the lady kneels, cheek to jaw, dagger
gripped sweaty in dainty milken hands. Down falls my lady,
steel meeting bone, heady cats' breath curling into gaping
nostrils. She stabs, shreds feline muscle, thick blood boiling from
open wounds, scorching my lady's skin at neck, arm and foot.

Two cats blithely leap, catch Landowar's long dark trellises
of sleek hair. My lady's head snaps back; she swings steel madly,
cuts cat in spotted cheek, in fleshy shoulder. Oh, the blood
as she butchers them blindly, carves deep angles, emptying
stomachs. At last, she chops hair from her own head, a new fashion
in short butch fancy, shakes herself free, lands on all fours,
howls at the moon-dark red droplets spiral down, fall lightly
on ten dead cats, corpses strewn at odd angles, my lady
stained, dress frayed, nipple peeking, hem caressing torn ankles.

Sir Fredrick arrives, sword unsheathed, gallant steed gently neighing
on a short rope at Fredrick's side, shield unscarred but for
a deep gash gotten when sir knight toppled gracefully from
yonder baobab, shield scraped in the quest for a finer view.
Ah, but Lady Landowar not immodest, slips purple shreds
of gown over blushing breasts. The knight's view is not so much
improved. Eyebrows upturned, he inches closer, sword at side,
to glimpse this valiant warrior lady who hath slain ten
mighty cats and arrow-like hath pierced his fragile knight heart.

My lady steps back. This knight with sword so brazenly
unsheathed, with eyes dull as old stones, yet dares to wiggle his eyes
down my lady's figure, to affably whimper with lips
like icy river leeches, to stagger forward, kneeling
in a lover's swoon! Oh, this is madness! My lady, dagger
still in hand, slashes good sir knight across innocent
white neck! The blood! the blood! Sir Fredrick falls forward, dropping
lifeless to the forest floor! Landowar leaps sleekly
into the tall saddle; braying, my lady gallops away.