Tiger, tiger, burning bright

     When I was nineteen, I went on a little tear around New Orleans, all on my own.  I went to the Audobon Zoo. It was the most beautiful, lush, exotic place I had ever been. The animals wandered freely, mixed in cageless enclosures for the most part (a bold new idea back then), with peacocks, both blue-green and white albinos walking on the paths with visitors. It was like being in a great Rajah's palace for me. I had come especially to see the white tiger exhibited there, never having seen anything but orange tigers in Colorado zoos.
     I was a little surprised to see how small a space it was kept in, compared with the modern, luxurious multiple-species spaces I'd seen previously. It was a bare dirt yard of about 60 by 30 feet with a few boulders breaking the dull flatness, and a denlike area in back all surrounded by an artificial ravine 25 feet deep and 20 feet across. The tiger was a full grown male, half again as large as any ordinary tiger I'd ever seen. He was exquisitely muscled with a perfect, gorgeous, black-striped-on-immaculate-white coat, eyes a vivid sapphire. He was playing with a log cut like firewood, obviously given to him by his keepers for amusement. The log was of a solid, heavy wood, one that a human would strain to lift, but that he was able to dangle off one paw's set of claws like a light stick. He bit down hard on the log and splintered it.
     There was a family of five watching the tiger a little ways away from me, they all gasped at the beast's display of raw power. The tiger himself did not deign to notice any of us or look our way, I had seen this behaviour in many zoo animals before. I understand them, I wouldn't give my captors the satisfaction of my notice, either. The family moved on to other exhibits, talking excitedly, leaving me alone with the tiger.
     I felt like I should move on, it was a big zoo, but he was so very beautiful, I just lingered there. The tiger dropped the log piece and turned his head to the back of the enclosure. His face had such a look of  terrible boredom and disgust, I felt so sorry for him. Then he looked directly at me, fixedly, his eyes saying "I wish I could get a hold of your meaty body, dangle it off my claws and bite down hard.". I felt a rush, a thrill and a shot of adrenalin, which made me jump involutarily, but I kept hold of the rail. The tiger and I regarded each other as he flexed his scimitar claws, and thousands of years of evolution urged me to leave the vicinity of the tiger. But it's not every day one can be in direct communication with such a creature, I trembled and stayed. It was a delicious shiver, because I knew I was safe from his predation. He stood up and walked to the edge of the dirt yard to get the closest possible look at me, but he knew I was out of reach, and the look of disgust returned. He felt he had a perfect right to tear me to pieces for his own amusement or a snack, and he was angry with me for being human, out of reach. 

Two Haiku About Insects

Small flies drink my sweat
In this arid mountain clime
I their sylvan spring


Buddhist removal
Of spider in the bathtub
Innocent shower

Low Profile being Blown

By the pricking in my thumbs, something wicked this way comes........