enter the tangle

stay in groups, make sure you’re alone

bare your fangs, smile with tiger eyes
do not feed the lion
scratch your back

watch the big cat take your hands

start to run

when your confidence wanes
do not fear the lion
the corners of your mouth

fold into paper cages

birds without flight

offer you feathers
do not tame the lion
intensely crouch

creep towards the moon

recall that animals react poorly

to the smell of their own blood
do not free the lion
put out the distress flare

throw a rock at your reflection

roar at your childhood wasteland
do not love the lion
get down on your hunches

count the steps you haven’t taken

ask tour guides about breadcrumbs

tell your captor you’re not leaving
do not kill the lion
100 yards away is still too close

rapid movements, excited talk will do

take all the above steps

then appear larger

by raising

the roof of your head
do not chase the lion
if you ever stop hunting

may as well start praying

blessed is the lion

that becomes the man

that it has eaten
do not become the lion