The Lone Tiger

I was inspired to write this poem after watching a harsh documentary on the endangered Sumatran Tiger species in Indonesia. I hope this poem will raise awareness on this heartbreaking topic.

Fire. New. Strange. Dangerous.

Fire. Burning. Ruthless. Destructive.

Fire. Pain. Death. Human.

 

The moon shone on the dense jungle.

Fire, unwanted, disastrous fire, came out of the night.

The tiger hid, petrified, the fire and smoke obscuring its sight.

Escape, nowhere to be found.

The tiger’s cries were drowned.

A new smell. A strange smell.

Human.

A snapping noise, made by large, clumsy feet.

The tiger lay helpless, weakened by the heat.

Their footsteps died away,

But the tiger was left to stay.

 

The tiger woke. It lay silent, covered in ash.

It was silent outside. The humans, gone in a flash.

The tiger’s home vanished, unrecognizable.

 

There was no more fire.

And there stood the lone tiger.

Author's Note

I had to write this poem for an English task, and had to include phrases from a book, such as 'snapping noise', 'came out of the night', etc.