I am teaching today virtually, helping students at Fox Meadow Elementary (Scarsdale, NY) craft anecdotes to go with their poems ala DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD. Fun!
My latest ArtSpeak: Animals poem started out as a poem about a zebra...and when that wasn't working, I switched to a tiger... and voila! Thank you so much for reading.
Tenderness is a Tiger
Tenderness is a tiger
cleaning its paw
barnacled tongue
creeps between claws
rasping
grasping
gathering dirt
and crumbs
before they fall.
Tenderness is a tiger
stretching in the sun
whiskers twitch, breath
before they fall.
Tenderness is a tiger
stretching in the sun
whiskers twitch, breath
soon comes undone
wheezing
dreaming
as cubs tackle her tail—
even in sleep,
wheezing
dreaming
as cubs tackle her tail—
even in sleep,
she welcomes their fun.
- Irene Latham
The entirety of your tender tiger poem (mama tiger!) is grrreat, Irene, but the line "barnacled tongue" is really purrfect. Have fun with your kiddos! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely images, Irene. You've found tenderness in the most ferocious places... I love the juxtaposition. Thank you...
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem. I too, like the barnacled tongue!
ReplyDeleteTigers, those 'big' cats take good care of themselves. I can imagine that afterward, her 'wheezing dreaming" & content with her cubs. A calm poem about a tiger is a lovely surprise.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of thinking about a tiger as tender. As I reread it I could image the tiger as a mama cat, just a bit bigger.
ReplyDeleteLike Valerie Worth's poems, Irene, your poems are often surprising and able to change the way we look at something forever. "Tenderness is a tiger / cleaning its paw," for example. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't working, so you switched to a tiger! Isn't that the way, and "rasping / grasping" is such a great stanza.
ReplyDeleteI had to go look up info on tiger's tongues after reading your poem–and ah how well that "barnacled tongue" works. But poor tiger seems to work pretty hard round the clock too, thanks Irene for this sensitive take on mama tiger!
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so glad this became a tiger. I love the contrast of a tender tiger, tending to paw and cubs with a tongue that "creeps between claws".
ReplyDeleteI imagine you must have had a lot of fun crafting anecdotes with the students today. I adore Charles and your Dictionary For a Better World! Yay, for a tigress poem; I love all cats! In fact, I have a little Tigress behind me. That's the name of one of our cats. Your title of your poem hooked me from the start. I love the contrast of tenderness / tiger and your examples of that. I love how you chose to write about the tenderness of a tigress, which is a subject that many don't know about. Whenever I've seen big cats at a zoo, a sanctuary, or TV I'm always impressed how much they are like my domestic cats. I once saw a male African lion on TV trying to take a nap with cubs climbing all over him. He was so tender with them. I've also seen on TV silver back gorillas use the same tenderness with cubs. Mammals are amazing. Do you have a cat as a pet? Thank you for sharing your joy and inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIrene, I hope your day of virtual teaching was rewarding. Your tiger poem is an example of if something doesn't work start again. This poem is another thought on tiger as a mother who not only grooms herself but plays with her baby cubs, hence the title is a great intro to your poem.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about Dictionary for a Better World, there is so much learning from the mentor text for young people. I would love to have been a fly on the zoom link to hear how kids responded to writing anecdotes. I had never been a Tiger person until my daughter's Chinese heritage and Tiger zodiac became part of my life. Now, every time I spot a beautiful tiger...I think of her and must now send her this poem. LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteOoh! I love "barnacled tongue."
ReplyDeleteThis poem is so rich with images and description, yet spare with the language. I could picture this Mama tiger in such detail. Thanks for sharing this with us today!
ReplyDeleteThis is just such a lovely close-up look at the slow, sweet movements of a beast we only think of as fierce. Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo curious about whether you couldn't find tenderness in a zebra, or whether something else got in the way! I love this series of animal/abstract metaphors.
ReplyDeleteYour word choices are always so spot on..."barnacled tongue" I love using your Artspark poems as jumping off places for poetry in my classroom. Thanks for making them easily available and accessible.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding us that even fierce tigers have a tender side. I especially love the image of her "wheezing/dreaming," then, like mothers everywhere, having her respite disturbed by playful cubs!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I would never have thought of a tiger being tender, but she's also a mom!
ReplyDeleteI am here after a week of following my eye drop regimen. I know I read your poem last but I must have dozed off before responding. I have been doing a lot of that lately. Thanks for the interesting word choice, barnacled tongue, against a tender moment of tiger and cubs, Irene.
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