The Tiger Who Grew Old

Once I thought you a tiger,
Now a kitten, frail and small,
Once so fierce, your roar resounding,
Now a whisper, faint and pall.

Your eyes, once ablaze with fire,
Now dimmed by time’s relentless march,
Once you prowled with graceful stride,
Now you stumble in the dark.

Gone the days of wild defiance,
Now surrender to the night,
Once a ruler of the jungle,
Now a shadow, lost in flight.

Yet in your gentle purring,
Lies the echo of your past,
Once a king, now humbled servant,
Memories fading, fading fast.

Once I thought you a tiger,
Now a kitten, frail and thin,
Once so fierce, but now I see,
You were always gentle within.

:: 02.28.2024 ::