The speaker describes a dream in which four mountain lions appear, two young cubs and a second pair that includes a huge adult, probably a mother. One cub lunges and the speaker fires a pistol and misses. Running into an open mountain meadow with his son Uri, he finds the larger cougar standing between them. He knows a pistol bullet won't stop her, so he doesn't shoot, and he can't escape anyway.
Then the tension breaks. Instead of attacking, the cougar rises onto two feet and spins in a slow, graceful dance. The poem's word "maul" hangs in the air as the thing she could have done, and the broken lines ("she could have. . .") mimic the speaker's held breath. What follows is quiet wonder. Fear gives way to awe, and the speaker seems to feel chosen, even gifted, as a witness. The title's "Goddess" suggests he sees her as something sacred, powerful and merciful at once. The mood moves from panic to stillness and reverence.