Title art by David Joaquin. Click image to visit his studio.
Once upon a very long time ago
Far away in the lush jade gardens of Atlantis
There existed a Rabbit and a Lion
“You really are a most handsome Lion” said Rabbit
And her little heart threatened to explode in her chest as she did
If only he could see what she could see, then they could rule this kingdom together
But it was evident that this proud beast lacked pride in himself
Had had it snatched away many moons ago
Replaced with vacant stare that appeared no more here than there
His eyes were dull, listless
His existence so conditioned, so blissless that he no longer quenched from the river for fear of his own reflection
This hall of mirrors had distorted his perception to such a degree that all he could see was everything he didn’t wish to
Whatever could this white Rabbit have spotted which he had overlooked?
Why had she not fled startled?
Why did her bright eyes still sparkle?
What was her secret?
And could she really be sworn to keeping it?
This was uncharted territory for Lion and he had every right to be trepidatious
Curiosity had been known to kill cats of all sizes
Besides, he no longer possessed the strength in his weary bones to fend off yet another wave of faceless drones
Adrenaline had seen him this far
Nature had tested him for the entire journey
But here in the garden of Atlantis had appeared a most fetching spot to lay down and die peacefully
Which is precisely why Rabbit would allow nothing whatsoever of the sort
His wounds were extensive and gaping wide like caverns of contusion
Rabbit dressed each in turn and this appeared to stem the bleeding
However, it wasn’t mortal wounds which made her brow crinkle
But the significant injuries sustained to the Lion-heart which beat weakly beneath the pure white fur of his chest that truly rankled
Its discordant rhythm which made her uneasy
And, with every clap of distant thunder, Lion was growing increasingly queasy
Trapped within his own forced resignation, soundly tamed by the shame he had shouldered for so long
Lanced harshly by spears of culpability
Then left to bleed the heavens one final apology that should never had been expected of him
Not after what he had endured
This was typical behavior for Rabbit
For she too had been savaged and her wounds were no less severe
Indeed, she could barely summon the might to fight through the barrage of pain She felt
But none of this mattered
Just as only one other thing could in this moment
As his protector, she cast aside her intense discomfort, and comforted he whose blue blood denoted magisterial stature
One which reflected the blood red rubies in her own regalia
And brought them into gilt-edged focus for the first time since the shadows began to whisper
This felt like many lifetimes ago now and every slow death endured had chipped away to the very dust and scratch of her bones
But this particular white Rabbit was made of decidedly stern fluff
Thus, she puffed out her chest and declared
“quite enough”
Lion’s eyes widened
And his grip on Rabbit tightened
His razor-sharp talons could decimate all but the most fearsome adversaries
Tear them to shreds and rebuild them in his image
But it was not his intention to slay on this day
Merely hold on tight to the one creature in this kingdom that could see him as he really was
A proud and distinguished beast of royal connotation
Her courage had not gone unnoticed
Far from it
He had never before witnessed such astonishing channeling of inner strength
And he had never before seen quite so clearly
As Rabbit patched up his wounds one by one without a modicum of fuss, he watched her in quietest awe
At any time, she could have stopped what she was doing
Complained of the spiteful ivy which snagged her white fur
Arrived at the conclusion that she had done her very best
And bounded off to pastures new
But she stood firm
Immovable
She then began to manoeuvre his dead weight to the nearby red cedar, even though he was of far greater weight than she
Whatever had gotten into her evidently bled straight through her
And Lion knew in that very instant that one fine day he would rule alongside her
He had searched far and wide for a queen to revere
And his chevalier nature had been tested with a tremendous dearth of due care
Yet here he felt more than justified in his unspoken vow to serve her forever and evermore
Indeed, should he endure this ordeal, then he would construct a throne from his very own bones just to see her seated in her rightful place
“You are the most beautiful creature I ever have seen” said Lion
And his heart threatened to explode in his chest as he did
Her timid response spoke in volumes as it was as clear as the azure sky above that she too was lacking something
It certainly wasn’t self-assurance as this Rabbit was fire and the smoldering embers in her wake corroborated this
But her belief in the truth of others had waned after a lifetime of being cherished only under condition
If only she could accept his donation of truth, then they could rule this kingdom together
No question
But it appeared that both Rabbit and Lion had arrived at a crossroads
Ever industrious, she gestured towards a freshly dug Rabbit hOle, a pile or two of crisp autumn leaves from the cedar
Where it led, neither one was aware
And neither did they care
As the thing about leaps of faith as Rabbit would remind you is that
“they never fail, ever”
dOwn
dOwn
dOwn
When Rabbit and Lion came to, they were in a place neither one of them knew
Both had a vague recollection of the silvery grey path which led them here
But they had been through so much and details of everything that had occurred since the leap were decidedly sketchy
Etched into their fur were a multitude of scars, many of which had not been there prior to their recent excursion
Curiously however, these wounds appeared aged and long since healed
Blood had unquestionably been spilled
The red and blue trail appeared to lead from the huge rusted iron door to their left directly to the altar upon which they had awoken
But neither were bleeding any longer
Indeed, both Rabbit and Lion had never before felt stronger
How could this be?
After the cruelty to which they had been subjected, a prolonged period of recuperation was only to be expected
At the very least, to feel a little disconnected
Instead, they felt curiously rested
Better yet, their perspectives appeared to have shifted entirely
And this couldn’t have been any more timely
Rabbit looked at Lion
But no longer so shyly
Lion did the same
Only no longer did he verge on retiring
This was something true and undying
It wasn’t that they had denied themselves this feeling
More that fate had not seen fit to intervene until now
In the precise same moment, they broke the silence
“You really are a most handsome Lion” said Rabbit
“You are the most beautiful creature I ever have seen” said Lion
This time, something felt markedly different
Gone was the consternation
As was any sense of separation
And it was the fact that both identified this in perfect symmetry
that made the heavens above weep its wistful tears
It was crystalline clear that these words bled sincerity
And neither had but one reason to believe contrarily
Rabbit’s nose crinkled
Her hind legs stretched merrily
and Lion’s did the same
Symmetry
And of the most exquisite variety
The kind of relation that yields complementarity
As together they could exhaust every last possibility
And rule this fine kingdom with honor and nobility
He and She
Only more
So much more
They had not been required to fit into this love which was transparently so much more than a love
There were absolutely no fractions to this two-way transaction
Just magnetized atoms of fantastical traction
The time had arrived for affirmative action
And with this
rabbitlion roared
With their fur now inspissate to the point of impenetrable
And their devotion to this cause entirely immeasurable
They emerged from the vestibule within which they had fused
As one and with reinforced majesty
Upon glancing back momentarily, rabbitlion discerned a rusted plaque on the wall
It read
Seraphic Pericardium – ad infinitum
No squinting their eyes to focus, rabbitlion was aware this was no mere token slogan
Only one word could even begin to encapsulate its Latin meaning
Omnipotent
The merest utterance of this prose could turn the luminaries of heaven pale green
Cause their halos to spin with deranged speculation
For the holy writ they harked was one of hindrance and shrouded in divine limitation
Humanity too was ill-equipped to understand the true meaning
Alas, in dubious pleasure their gluttonous souls steep
Learn their line is too short and the well far too deep
These permeable vessels which no true rapture could ever keep
Remain waylaid in circles ever decreasing
There was nothing vain about this flawless union
Thus, their circle possessed no centre point
With this ring, their pilgrimage need never end
Their motion need never be impeded by lack of invention
Their precise parallels could be a universe more than simply comparable
Generations would pass
Parables would be told
This legendary beast would be forever extolled
But this fable would be absent of epilogue
And the prologue would no longer be legible
As deep within the vestibule, pages turned like the sails of a windmill in gay spring
and Rabbitlion were eternally wed within this very ring
There would always be archfiends
Baleful lurkers who would feast on their fancy
But this would only ripen their harvest
As the darkest of shadows were now merest garnish
This dressing no longer one inclined to dispossess
For omnipotence casts no such cursed blessing
With the touch of all time it caresses
And should the most apt of pupils possess the willing and scruples to treat one another as congruous equals
Then they may, just may,
See their blindest faith redressed
Rabbitlion had claimed this splendiferous citadel as their own now
‘Twas their blank canvas to drench
Their sweet home now
One of infinite windows, each with a view
Forged from crystalline
Stain’d not by mistruth
Twas a fountain of only the most youthful exuberance
And a solitary reflection it accorded
It read…
Seraphic Pericardium – ad infinitum
Once within the fluid of time
Not so far away in the lush jade gardens of Atlantis
There exists a rabbitlion
Huddle in closely
Prick up those ears
And you may, just may, hear rabbitlion
ROAR!
