I, the tiger,
lean and sinewy,
pace my cage–
    ten steps to the east,
    ten steps south,
    ten steps west,
    pause,
    ten steps north…

Then one day,
the cage is gone–
    no more bars,
    no more keeper–
    in all directions,
    only freedom.

But I continue to pace–
    ten steps to the east,
    ten steps south,
    ten steps west,
    pause,
    ten steps north… 

Text and
image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.