(Poem) what Cow and Tiger say by Susan Hawthorne


a cow and a tiger                               how should they meet in a poem?

logic demands that carnivore          eat herbivore

unsurprisingly                                   Cow has a better idea

let’s have a conversation                 says Cow

you sit there and I’ll sit here            and we will talk

but says Tiger                                    before talk I must eat

no way                                                says Cow

every civilised being knows             talking and eating go together

Tiger takes action                             leaps for the throat

no eat no talk says Tiger                  mouth full of flesh

Note

The non-conversation of Cow and Tiger made me think of Putin’s actions this week. What more can be said?

When you look at these two photos the tiger doesn’t look so dangerous, but the feet are enormous. The buffalo cow with its huge horns looks as though it could defend itself, but the throat is vulnerable.

Both photos were taken by me in India in 2009 when I was writing my poetry collection Cow.


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