Tonight, while I was in a strange bed
Reading a strange book
A pillow in my sideview
Took on the presence of a tiger
I turned to see it
But only a soft blanket and pillow greeted me
I turned back to my book
And the tiger returned
So I accepted it
I believed
As it wanted me to
And asked the tiger
If it had come to attack or protect me
And the tiger responded that it was up to me
After all, he was only a soft blanket and pillow and my imagination come to life
What did I really need of him?
How could he best serve me?
And that was when I understood
That there had always been a tensed tiger
Standing by, watching me
Awaiting my orders
To protect or attack
Always, my soft tiger had been
Lurking in the side view
Waiting for me to relax
And see him
I wanted to ask him to protect me
But when I turned to speak
It was to a soft shape
And though it was what I wanted
I wasn’t sure it was what I needed
To be protected
By something, by anything
Though it’s nice to think
I could be
Alexis Young is a Swarthmore resident, an English teacher, and (till now) an unpublished writer.