I remember seeing that beast,
Though that word did it no justice,
Upon his dynasty strewn with bones,
So still and so proud,
Like a bestial portrait,
It could easily have been a statue,
A regal creature of mythology,
Holding aspects both feline and avian,
Four legs and twin wings,
Claw and beak,
It growled with a bloodcurdling bass,
Regarding me with vulturous eyes,
This cave was the court of a monarch,
I had not come as a hunter,
But to proffer gifts on behalf of me and mine,
So I showed due fearful deference,
And like an emperor shows mercy to a serf,
The griffin let me live.
WorldofHarley 