God filled the earth with tigers;
men and beasts warring for blood.
He painted them with warning
signs €”what scarlet spots! In God
we do not doubt. God filled the
earth with tigers.
The Father blessed his daughters
in the order of His good
Son, that we might all know good
and evil. And still we choose
sore fruit. God filled the earth with
tigers.
The spirit’s rushing waters
cannot stop Missouri silt
from covering the sins of
generations. What are we,
crouching here? God filled the earth
with tigers.
And you. Somehow there were no
stripes to warn. I fell, a thorn,
and you rid your hide of
pain. But, Love, certain death waits,
biding in the long, slow bleed–
God filled the earth with tigers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
To read more of Sarah’s work on WIZ, go here, here, here, and here.
Image from a photo by J. Patrick Fischer via Wikimedia Commons Images.
Wilderness Interface Zone 
Awesome. Love the refrain, and the “And you” of the 2nd-to-last stanza. So beautiful.
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I had my daughter read this.
She needs to know about the tigers.
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Hi Sarah, I loved the ending. Excellent poem!
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