She is a strong fortress
covered in jasmine,
She adorns herself with thorny bushes
To turn away the blood stained teeth of ravenous wolves,
and to keep any unwanted snarling suitors at bay.

She lets a select few in,
And some attack her from within,
But others reinforce her with steel,
Yet still,
She defends herself
From her enemies,
And is too afraid to call to her fellow warriors for aid,
Too timid to call
For those who braved her thorny exterior,
And beat the steel into shape that keeps her upright,
Ones who work hard behind the scenes to keep her from toppling over
Like a cardboard tree.

Still her fellow Generals come,
Seeing her faint distress signal,
And they come running with their supplies,
And they mend the drooping walls,
They add to her dwindling food reservoir,
And fully stock her ammunition,
So that she can breathe behind the walls they’ve mended
And reinforced just for her,
So that they can meet the ones who question her,
And force them to return to the dark and dense forest from whence they came.

When she glances at the area surrounding her,
She sees her friends,
The Owl who offers the best advice,
The ever brave Lion,
An aloof yet caring Panther,
And she realizes she is no longer alone.