We were
lions
once.

We were once lions.

And we were lions once...

We used to laugh like thunder gods
our mirth made the earth shake
earthquake
so much joy it made my stomach ache
we were content
we had never learnt what misery meant

We used to run like bushfires
fast and unstoppable the wind at our backs
our backpacks were light and our feet were dark
with street dirt.
And we never got hurt.

We used to ride like Mongolians
standing up on the pedals
always downhill
broken brakes
breakneck
and when the dust settled we made chain grease war paint and thanked the sun for the day

We used to fight like cyclones
and we danced like warriors
lightning limbs, we were giants
fearless, three metres tall
balls of raw
energy
weathered every squall

See we were lions once
I’m not sure why
we aren’t lions anymore
I know we didn’t grow any older
but now the world seems colder and I
miss the days...

We used to love with our whole hearts
now we’re more cautious
too many false starts
base-jumping makes us nauseous
We used to light fires and fight liars with liquid lungs
We’d pry open closed minds with a flick of our tongues
We used to roar our convictions every note we sung
We used to stand for something
We used to stand for something
We used to stand for something

We used to yearn for revolution
But now the world has turned and our revolts have dissolved into a diluted solution
And we’ve devolved into the mirror people
No longer able to admire the night sky cos our necks are sore from too much navel gazing
As though being too small to save the whole world is a valid excuse for giving up altogether Bullshit
We could be more than this
We should be more than this
We were lions once
And now we’re motherfucking kittens
Sitting in a windowless room
Bob Dylan and/or Marley turned loud to drown down the sounds of our own hypocritical apathy Wilfully ignorant
Washing our hands of the sins of the main stream
While drinking from its tributaries
Having forgotten that one raised voice is enough to start an avalanche
Jaded idealists
Introverted Epicureans
We are lazy
Powerless
selfish wastes of space
And we were lions once