A Tiger at the Circus

A tiger's point of view

A Tiger at the Circus

 

I dream of the birds calling to one another in the tall, dense trees. I dream of approaching a cool, rippling, green pool in the summer heat.

 

I look around at iron bars, and feel the scrape of rough concrete underneath me. I hear the call of a human man, unconsciously sending surges of anxiety rattling through me.

 

I dream of lapping at the cool water, and watching the reflection of a strong, powerful beast with teeth and claws. I dream of whipcord strength as I dart through the vibrant foliage or jump into a fresh hunt.

 

I feel the flex of where claws should be, but none appear at my will. I see the man walking closer, sweaty and angry from a day in the hot sun. I see the metal rod he carries and feel myself sit like a dog. I am obedient to that length of metal.

 

I dream of sharp ears perking at the sound of a small animal rustling in the undergrowth. I dream of a blue sky with green leaves above me, and the Earth, alive, beneath me.

 

He calls a simple command and I follow, eyes never leaving the sharp metal he carries in his right hand. Today is a simple day with not as many prods or sharp pokes, but other days have not been as easy. Being released from a cage does not bring freedom, only obedience at the hand of chains.

 

I dream of watching animals scurry when I come by to drink or roam to find the right spot of shade. I dream of sleeping under the stars and waking under the soft morning light with drops of dew coating my pelt made from the rays of an eclipse; the brightness of the sun streaked with darkness.

 

Everywhere I look I see iron, and it is unforgiving. Cold. Brutal. Like a life behind bars with a chain around your neck. What could make a force of nature jump through fire or leap on the backs of prey for show but fear itself manifested into pain that became a lifestyle?

 

I see fire. I see iron. I see them screaming. I see bars. I see prey I cannot hunt with claws I no longer have. I dream of home, but I live within my nightmares.  

Author's Note

Hello readers! I chose to publish this poem as my first piece to give people perspective on circus animals. The tiger character in this poem is under extreme circumstances of abuse, and it isn't uncommon to hear about this kind of situation being a reality for not only tigers, but all kinds of circus animals.
To be more informed about tigers used as circus acts, Big Cat Rescue made this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTwQdMNLA8I.
I encourage anyone reading to not support circuses that use animals in their acts, because there are lots of fun circuses to go to that are animal cruelty free and do not condone the use of animals being humiliated in front of a live audience for entertainment. Thank you for reading and please leave comments, questions, and concerns below!
Also, if anyone is interested in supporting a top rated charity that has saved over a hundred big cats, I would encourage you to go to Big Cat Rescue's website.
This is the MLA citation for the picture used in the thumbnail:
Tiger at Siberian Tiger Foundation in OH. Digital image. Big Cat Rescue. N.p., n.d. Web. .

Reviews

[APOORVA]

this is super awesome.
you have great sense of word selection and content managing.

[...]

Very sad and truthful.we humans are sometimes worst then beasts. Very good poem for thinking who we are. And why we make other creature suffer in our hands.

[Tony Jordan]

This is very sad. The reader can really get an idea of the pitiful situation of animals in captivity here. Our cruelty to one another is only matched by our cruelty to our fellow Earth-dwelling beings. I can't abide cruelty to animals. In the age of VR there's no need for such antiquated ideas like zoos and if people knew the extent of the cruelty in circuses they would stop attending.

[Rachel]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review this and for sharing your own compassion about the subject in the comments. It really means a lot to me!

[Tony Jordan]

I can hardly watch the heartbreaking adverts for World Wildlife Fund on TV - Dancing bears - poor things are standing on hotplates!! How can anyone treat sentient beings so?

[Rachel]

I know, it's hard to watch, because it's just so unnatural to see animals being humiliated like that. I don't understand why anyone would see that as entertaining.

[Frankie]

I really liked how one stanza was about being in the circus and the next one was about him dreaming of being in the wild.
I think you captured perfectly how an animal trapped in this circumstance might feel.
Your use of imagery is fantastic

[Rachel]

Thank you so much for the review! I wanted to write about something that was important to me, and I feel that you do the same in your writing.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

This is an excellent and sensitive expose of the plight of circus animals. Using the tiger's perspective indeed provides the animal eye view and I agree animals being held captive for entertainment and nothing to do with conservation is simply wrong.

[Rachel]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! Also, thank you for your support on this subject, because it is very close to my heart.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Yes I agree with your aim of using literature to promote animal welfare and conservation. I have written at least two pieces on animals:
http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Passion8/1526277/ and
http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Passion8/1892946/ (there are another five chapters to this one lol!)

[Rachel]

Thank you and I will go check those out!

[duff]

I've always found it quite sad how we expect these wild animals to adapt to a cage as people stare at them with expectations to do some sort of trick as if they're a house pet. Then when they do turn on their trainer we put them down as if it's their fault. Gets my blood boiling. I like your imagery of the cold iron as it highlights the doom of their existence. It definitely sounds like a worthy cause. Thank you for sharing and nice work:)

[Rachel]

Thank you for taking the time to review this! Also, thank you for having compassion towards these animals. It makes me happy to hear that other people feel the same way.

[duff]

You're very welcome! Oh it upsets me just like the whole Sea World fiasco. I'm so glad they're ending that program.

[Rachel]

Me too, I think the documentary they made about Sea World called "Blackfish" really hit it home for a lot of people.

[duff]

I've seen it a couple times and it's absolutely an eye opener. Criminal in my opinion.