In my home, my cage
The Door is ajar,
But I remain closed
Suffused with rage.
The light shines through
Pings me in the eye
Oh! Had I dozed?
Maybe, but not long before
Comforted perhaps
By the status quo.

While sleeping dogs lie
Tigers do not rest
Restless in the wild
And in their cage,
Ready to fight
But if hunted,
Ready for flight.
Here I am,
Secure at home
Four walls and a dome
Discomfited by just light!

For outside
It’s not all sunshine
There’s hate,
There’s hoax, there’s hurt
Some think is necessary
And is just fine.
I, I wonder why
And I cry.
Then I see that they are attached,
To what they have
To what they don’t
With strings so strong,
They’ve twisted the strands
Into all that’s wrong.

Is it I, I wonder
Am I that tiger?
If not I, then who?
I ponder.
Can I pull those strings?
This way and that
Till they detach?

I worry,
Will I be hunted?
Have an encounter?
Be put in a cage
And up till the end, flounder?
Please, the time’s not right
Don’t ping me again
That I may wake
And wander out
Of my home, my cage…