His muscles are taut and eyes glossy, mid-thought, frozen and still. Contemplative, I believe he might have been when he died, preserved in such a paused emotion. And maybe that’s why I sat with the lion for so long at the natural history museum, because while he was obviously beautiful, I truly wondered how many wanted to just be there with him. I had never seen a lion look so alive — not even in the zoo….

Those Who Are Fit to Die