The Tiger with the Heart of the Squirrel, Metaphors make the best revenge
The Tiger with the Heart of the Squirrel
The tiger with the heart of a squirrel
Had beauty like no other
All that saw his magnificence
Fell head over heels in love
A plummet from which
Many would never recover
Then came the lioness
With a heart like a phoenix
Brave as all, she took no cover
She fell as hard as any old tabby
Tiger and lion, cats they were both
But the squirrel was no bird lover
Not to worry, from the fall
From the flames …
The phoenix rose again
Revived our fair little lioness
The lioness vowed to find another
One who burned just like her
Maybe, even a little brighter
She understood and always would
The heart of a squirrel is won
Not by bravery, love, or passion
The heart of a squirrel is won by one thing
And one thing only … nuts
And all it can gather
In the end, and always
A squirrel is a squirrel
A lion is not a tiger
Let your heart be a phoenix
And it will rise again and again
From any and all, burnt-out old embers
Photo a composite of public domain images
Poem copyright pryde foltz and originally published in Strays. Click on the photo for more information.
your poems make me remember the school days first, my teacher always teach me to make poetry about animals. Thank you your post has made me remember my teacher during school time
Thank you, alputhi:)
Oh what a sweet and whimsical little poem! When I read this I felt like a kid being read to at bedtime. An adult poem with a child's playfulness I love it <3
Thank you, Bennett. Given its subject matter, it was an appropriate way to deal with it:)
I think you are the Phoenix in this melodrama of extended metaphors :)
I certainly thought so at the time:) LOL.
@prydefoltz,
Pryde, as always, your poems get me thinking.
So here's the thing:
... why didn't she just get him some nuts?
This strikes me as a self-evident solution to the lioness' problem. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" ... was the lioness unaware of the axiom?
All this spontaneous combustion and rising from the ashes, over and over again ... it seems unnecessary. Just buy the guy a can of cashews!
Of course, I suppose, "nuts," could be being used metaphorically for the literal, which would, indeed, cause a problem of an existential nature.
In the UK, that could be construed as a hint.
:-)
BTW: Check out Old-Guy-Photos' feed. If you know how to edit photos, which, as you will see, I do not ... you could have some fun. And, if you're going to spank me for leaving smarty-pants remarks in your comments section (for which I couldn't blame you), see if you can find another Shakespearean quip. That was a very clever riposte. On that note, what play did that come from ... I can't find the reference?
It did not come from any play ... I was inspired by Shakespeare and not ripping him off.
No the tiger wanted only solid gold nut shells. He did not care for the actual meat of the matter. But fortunately the lioness has long gone on to liking her own species:)
BTW ... cashews are legumes:):):)
let's keep each tiny sparks in our hearts to become an ablaze
Indeed. Thank you, wagun:)
Aren't we all a little bit nuts? :D
Some might say a lot:)
That is my favorite part! <3
The lioness does deserve a happy ending:)
Seemingly lighthearted words with a heavy lesson. You’ve done it again :)
Thank you, horzy:)
Upvoted ☝ Have a great day!