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Untamed

Elegant and graceful, forever young
under the lights, but up close her legs

were scarred like cottage cheese, her eyes
had bathtub rings. She twirled the years

inside the cage, spinning them away
like someone else’s dreams. Backstage

she showed us off: tiger, leopard & me,
toothless cougar rescued from a meth dealer.

We rumbled like idling engines while
she ruffled our fur, loving all of us

as she did her own children, loving us
even as we tore her and her son apart.

—

This one took a decidedly dark turn, and it’s based on a true story. My father-in-law used to coordinate a Shrine circus. We went and got to go backstage to meet the woman who worked with the big cats. She was much older in person than she looked onstage. The cats were beautiful, and she clearly loved them and took good care of them. We weren’t allowed to touch them, but seeing them up close even inside their kennels was enough to set some primal adrenaline sparking. A few years later we learned that the cats killed the woman and her son.

This is a response to the very first prompt over at the brand new Big Tent Poetry where I’m honored to be a barker and to have had one of my posts included in the 3rd ring of that exciting poetry circus. The prompt, in honor of the site’s circus theme, was to write a persona poem ideally about someone associated with the circus. I chose the cats who I can’t blame. It’s what they do. We often wonder if our sweet cat would eat us if he were big enough. I suspect he would.

Published inPoemsPoetry

15 Comments

  1. it is what they do.

    and it is probably what the housecats are are thinking about, behind those serene eyes.

  2. It is what they do James and you have captured the spirit quite well here. What a sad story about the woman and her son.
    Pamela

  3. Brenda Warren Brenda Warren

    I like dark turns,and besides, the lady loved them even as they ate her, that has light shining through it. 🙂 I like this piece a great deal!

  4. With intentional multi-dimensional ambiguities: “What a way to go!”

    Beautiful rendition from your memories and the news. And great irony in the savagery of the toothless cougar, rescued from the meth dealer.

    Elegant and graceful, forever young

    Very nice!

  5. it does take a dark turn, very often, when people keep these cats. of course the ending is powerful as is this: “toothless cougar rescued from a meth dealer.”

  6. Derrick Derrick

    Big cats have a fatal fascination for most folks; savage beauty and raw power. I really like “She twirled the years/inside the cage, spinning them away/like someone else’s dreams.”

  7. Deb Deb

    This is why I love poetry.

    Your poem gave all the creatures their due, with fine language, image, feel. In twelve lines.

    Terrific response to the prompt, and I am delighted you’re part of the Big Tent.

  8. Victoria Hendricks Victoria Hendricks

    The dark turn, especiallly knowing the poem is true, hit hard and clea. I find the imagery beautiful if sad – espeially “toothless cougar rescued from a meth lab.”

  9. I also liked the dark turn in this poem. Also, how you juxtaposed her apparent youth with her up-close age, the gentleness of her love for those big cats with their savagery in the end.

    -Nicole

  10. I like how you’ve described ‘her legs’ and ‘her eyes’ — strong images, as is the vision of her twirling (the years) in a cage. The brutal ending surprised me, but in a good way. It skewers home the idea of how much one being can exert control over another: not much, really.

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