It’s baffling to watch-

the soft side of a ferocious beast

an uncompromising predator

or an evil dictator.

 

To watch a lioness lick her young to dry,

let it prance and bite her ear,

pick it up gently with her mouth

and gently carry it away to safety

 

Or to watch the mother croc

pick up her hatchlings in her whale of a mouth,

not crushing any by the same jaws

that have pulverized many a hapless victim.

 

Or to watch a confessed killer

tell his son bedtime stories, tuck him into bed,

switch off the lights, pause for a moment

to plant a loving kiss on his forehead.

It is a baffling show of tenderness to behold