Massarti, the Lion Tamer, and: My Father Asks to Be Cremated

Massarti, the Lion Tamer, and: My Father Asks to Be Cremated Daniel Ginsburg (bio) Massarti, the Lion Tamer shuddered when the house cat brushedits fur against his shoulder. He was afraid,he told his wife, of the Asiatic lionwhose fangs had grazed his remaining wrist.The dark mane darted past in dreams.So he drank before he entered the den, Massarti, one-armed tamer,who donned Roman gladiator garband brandished his falchion. His rashnessthe crowd relished, how he turnedhis back on five lions. Once, oneripped off his left arm in Liverpool, yet Massarti lives! Now it's 1872.To corral his cats, he stompsand the people of Bolton whoop.He prances, eyes fixed on the Asiatic lion,its black mane flowing like the River Styx.When his house cat–an Abyssinian–slinks between his legs, he slips. An African lionsprings, seizing the tamer's haunch.The Asiatic beast chomps his stump.As circus attendants heat iron barsthat are cold from neglect, a third lionpeels back his scalp from crown to neck. [End Page 1] My Father Asks to Be Cremated His whisper is like thisif we are listening: ashesscatter into the Ganges,the seas. A mollusk rots in its shell.I long to staycomposed. Wispsof hair clog drains. At his estate sale, we'll measuretime by lengthsof cobwebs in the corner,thickness of dust on the sideboard, weaknessof a Hepplewhite leg.Wedged in a drawer,a Christmas card dated 1940–when my father was born,and on a mantel,the urn. [End Page 2] Daniel Ginsburg daniel ginsburg earned an MFA in creative writing from American University. His poem "The Carpet" received an Honorable Mention for the 2023 Rash Award in Poetry. Previously, his poetry was published by Broad River Review, North Dakota Quarterly, The Northern Virginia Review, Gargoyle, and Intima. He lives in Potomac, Maryland.