Tearful Tiger

• Tayla Jones, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2013

I see a flash of colour, it looks like blazing fire,
But it was really just a crying Bengal Tiger.
Staring with sad eyes, straight into my soul,
I knew her tragic story needed to be told.

This proud and striking animal was truly in despair
I saw the aching pools of pain in her fearful glare.
It made me feel so sick, for her I would die,
I then sat with the tiger, and I began to cry.

As we sat down together, God heard my prayer.
There In my mind’s eye, her vision was shared.
In our magic connection, the tiger spoke to me,
then I heard her voice telling me her story.

Running in the Jungle, metal monster on her tail,
Her three terrified cubs had begun to wail,
No time to mourn her love, lost and left behind,
All she felt was panic caused by MAN KIND.

Heartbroken by her plight, then I hear a rumble,
I look and see the monster tearing down the Jungle.
The tiger jumps up and her eyes beg me to follow,
she leads me to her cubs, hiding in a hollow.

Despite her massive size, she was loving and so soft,
She gently took her baby and held the cub aloft.
In that beautiful moment I knew just what to do,
I followed right behind her and cradled the other two.

Agile and graceful her speed was second to none,
I was awkward, slow & clumsy as we tried to run.
Soon my fears were realised the Jungle flattened out
And with nowhere left to run then I began to SHOUT!.

The man in the bulldozer got out with his gun.
It seemed he was a hunter, killing was for fun.
I threw myself on the tiger and I got in his way,
I screamed, “YOU WILL NOT KILL ANY TIGER’S TODAY!”

The hunter was so shocked, he wanted his tiger rug,
But instead laid down his weapon and gave a dazed shrug.
he would’ve got some money, from the carpet factory,
but his heart won through, and he told of a tiger sanctuary.

SAVE THE TIGERS AND FORESTS!