The Velvet Tiger



He lies in wait amidst the vast,
dense jungle, camouflaged by brown
dirt, twigs, grasses and open plain.

He lies so still with scarce a breath
escapes his lungs, for fear of sound
he matters not if pouring rain.

He hunts by ponds of shimmering
waters, pools, lakes and muddy ground,
to trap his prey ‘til none remain.

Why does he hunt? Why in this heat?
His scorching breath, the lizards back
he burns, as arching necks they crane.

And swarms of insects flutter bold,
blunder blindlytheir vivid stripes
more striking than the parrot’s vane.

Green toads watch and wait in wonder,
eying every stealthy movement
the unsuspecting predator
too soon becomes the hunter’s gain.

This velvet tiger with its stripes
of flaming orange, brown and gold
lies silent now in grassy grains.

About this poem

We are all hunters!

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Submitted by susannaelliott on April 15, 2024

46 sec read
2

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXA XBA XBA XXA CDA EXEA DCX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 798
Words 154
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3

Susanna Elliott-Newth

Susanna is a teacher, living near the coastal fringes of the Illawarra Coastline in NSW, Australia. Her environment is her stimulus for her writing. She has published four books of short stories, as well as her own memoir book, and writes educational resources for teachers. more…

All Susanna Elliott-Newth poems | Susanna Elliott-Newth Books

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    "The Velvet Tiger" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/185417/the-velvet-tiger>.

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