The Tiger with the Heart of the Squirrel

The tiger with the heart of a squirrel
Had beauty like no other
All that saw his magnificence
Fell head over heels in love
A plummet from which
Many would never recover

Then came the lioness
With a heart like a phoenix
Brave as all, she took no cover
She fell as hard as any old tabby
Tiger and lion, cats they were both
But the squirrel was no bird lover

Not to worry, from the fall
From the flames …
The phoenix rose again
Revived our fair little lioness
The lioness vowed to find another
One who burned just like her
Maybe, even a little brighter

She understood and always would
The heart of a squirrel is won
Not by bravery, love, or passion
The heart of a squirrel is won by one thing
And one thing only … nuts
And all it can gather

In the end, and always
A squirrel is a squirrel
A lion is not a tiger
Let your heart be a phoenix
And it will rise again and again
From any and all, burnt-out old embers

Photo a composite of public domain images
Poem copyright pryde foltz and originally published in Strays. Click on the photo for more information.