He silently waits for her gaze to meet his,
Wonders if her doe eyes are still flecked with gold
And glowing with suppressed adoration;
Wonders if she'll seek safety in the shade of his arms
Or lose herself in the light of his smile.

He knows things have changed when she passes,
A brazen and beautiful predator
With the easy grace of a huntress
And eyes that don't need to look up.
Still appearing golden, but rebuilt with steel.

Then, a break
In her stride
The slightest of staggers,
A single step that nevertheless
Imprints itself on the surface of his heart.
It was not the lioness he was falling in love with,
But his bow-legged deer,
The one who was already gone.