Caged

there……through bamboo….scrub…..palm
the tiger prowls……up/across/down
the terraced hill…..focused…..and predictable
sloughing…..anxiety off……his muscled back
off the side-to-side…..sweep……of his head
my camera waits…..waits…..waits……to catch
him in…..a slice of light……but without……a hint
he charges…..the fence……bared fangs….snarling
across the path…..to fields……where languid stripes
lounge in sun…..mother/daughter/sister/peer…..smug
and unperturbed…..posing…..for crowds charmed
by mesmerizing eyes…..awed…..by the art
of her orange/black/white…..without a chuffle
or growl…..she basks…..in reverence
I grab…..my camera…..sweep it…..side to side
from the anguish…..behind wire mesh…..to surrender
lying…..in the grass…..unnatural…..this life…..like innocents
trapped on death row…..or refugees…in border towns
they say…..Sumatrans can survive…..a decade longer
in captivity…at what cost….I shout at
the unfettered sky….who…..calculates the price