Panthera Tigris Altaica

I took the picture when I was visiting the zoo the other day and it inspired me to write this poem.

I

 

Nightshade lines caress its pelt,

Sunset fleece quivering in anticipation,

Solitary in the jungle,

Rocky creek, home,

Thriving in gratification,

Oblivious to peril, eyes fearless, bold,

Squealing pig, startled deer,

The routine provisions,

King of the ‘big cats’,

Panthera tigris altaica.

 

II

 

Shining metal fencing,

Coiled around an ‘enclosure’,

Artificial territory, humiliation,

Culled cattle, Western tit-bits,

The caging of the sovereign,

Crescent claws quarry an escape,

Whiskers twitching with unease,

Studying the observers survey,

Trapped, encaged, incarcerated,

Panthera tigris altaica.

 

III

 

Majestically the imperial decline,

Amid the firing of the cannon,

Hides stretched across landmarks,

The monarchy newly fell,

Hear extinction calling,

The sands of time diminish,

Moonlit eyes fading,

Lost,

‘Panthera tigris altaica’.

 

Reviews

[DarkAngelWriter]

Lots of imagery. It takes your senses on a roller coaster with plenty of loops. Good write.

[J]

Lots of imagery here which made me think a lot. In your last stanza I thought of safaris and how royals would go big-game hunting to get these 'trophies'... a silly, outdated 'sport' in my opinion... I mean, how hard is it to point a gun and shoot? In the prehistoric days, it made much more sense... armed with only a spear and maybe a dagger, it took a lot of balls to go up and kill one of those things... at least, I think so, and I definitely wouldn't be doing anything so suicidal, haha.

I have conflicting opinions about zoos. Yes, they entrap, but they also nurture, especially so if they're on the endangered list. No, it's not natural at all, and people staring at it all day makes these animals too used to human company, unlike in the wild, but hey... as I said, I'm conflicted about zoos. I used to be an anaesthetic veterinary assistant, so I've seen a lot of animals in my time, yep.

Anyway, I'm such a rambler, haha =)
J

[~crazy Beautiful~]

zoo's in general make me sad
this piece did too, it is hard to keep such beauty confined to cages. they should be left to roam free on preserves, their own land.
You painted beautifully with your words this piece
thank you for entering my contest

[Tina Kline]

I really liked this poem. It is sad, but the subject of wild animals in zoos, then facing extinction. Your poem flows nicely and gives a sad but profound vision of something powerful, wild and free, brought down to its knees (so to speak) in a cage in a zoo then finally ending up as someones hunting trophy in the form of a hide. Maybe not the same tiger, but the way a lot of tigers in up. Your poem is very moving.

Tina

[Jaffa Forbes]

Nicely structured, different viewpoints... I see. Reminds me of Wilfred Owen 's Dulce et Decorum Est for some reason.

[Emily B]

I like the progression of the verses. Such an inspired write.

[R J Askew]

I like the title which is unusual and I like tigers. The poem is dynmic telling a hard story, with each of the three verses moving on but being equally strong. The tiger is admired for its ferocity and strength, so it is both fascinating and very sad to see one caged. The poem also seems to be about an even more ferocious creature, us. We have mastered tigers to the point of their destruction. I often wonder what will become of a species such as man who does not seem to have a master, though maybe a virus will master us one day. so there is a lot going on in the poem and it is thought provoking. It is also very well observed with the first line being a really good one. But I think it is the edge in the second verse that I like most. 'Hides stretched across landmarks' is a great line also. And for some odd reason 'imperial decline' and 'extinction calling' made me think of the British empire which was a bit of a tiger once...also maybe the whole empire of man will go the same way one day. Maybe the tiger is a warning to man. I might try for a fresher line than 'sands of time'. But I enjoyed the poem in detail and it clearly made me think! 'Pelt, peril' and 'unease' all good words.

[Legion]

Western tit-bits - I think it is actually tid-bits.

This was a fantastic and well written piece. I especially like the use of the scientific name of it. The juxtapositioning of the two living conditions was wonderful as well as riddled with the sadness of the loss of what was. The last stanza summed up the future perfectly. Great work. Three yes's. See you in Hollywood. :)

[JC Fox]

LOVELY! Tigers are one of my favorite cats ^_^

[Stonewall]

Wonderful imagery and a fantastic subject. Well done.