Dear Sally,
    In answer to your question, tigers don't like climbing, and would not
have a special tree - I think you are thinking more of leopards, who will
even pull a large carcase up into a tree. Tigers sometimes climb trees when
they are young, and can climb trees as adults at a push, but it is not
something they do for pleasure. There also seems to be a bit of continental
confusion in the poem-  tigers and zebra at a waterhole?
I think this poem would be better if you dropped the conditional tense of
the opening and had it in the present. The ending seemed rather clumsy to
me, because the tone hasn't been that of a quick chat -it's all been much
too 'literary' for that. I'm not keen on applying words like 'sentimental'
to tigers, or even humans, in a poem -seems to me you are tempting
providence if you do so.
Kind regards,
   grasshopper

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Evans" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 3:09 AM
Subject: [THE-WORKS] New Sub: The Tiger's Poem


> Hi folks, I havent written much that came out, lately. This is new and
> probably crazy. Crits apprec.  First of all - do tigers climb up trees?
>
> The Tiger's Poem.
>
> Drowsily we'd lie in the trees,
> contemplating the orange light,
> bright enough to hide our lamp-like pelts
> in its rolling sandscape. Cats with spots
> or dull and leonine, strolled around
> sizing up zebra, slowly calculated
> the expenditure of energy required
> for a spring and a leap. Waterholes
> shimmered like mirages, which we knew
> were there by the tracks of animals
> ready to time-share their common need.
> There we'd lie flat above browsing height,
> peer through the level clipped by herbivores,
> thicken the shadow on a pool of land,
> red sky and foliage above.
>
> Savannah grass is green and deep,
> a sea where formerly a sky
> concealed us.  This is better for our young,
> but we are sentimental sometimes.
> A Tiger can look back, nostalgical
> to think about his favourite tree,
> a broad wood limb on which he'd loll
> and view all comers -  Still, life's good.
> So, how many cubs you got just now?
> Can't stay all day in idle chat.
> Some Ibex just passed by I mean to follow.
>
> Sally Evans
>