Like a tigress in the jungle

Like a lioness on the veldt

I’m compelled by unseen forces

By emotions deeply felt

I’m a prowler, I’m a sentry

I’m a huntress in the wild

I’m that creature feared by others

I’m a mother with a child

 

No sweet, reposed madonna

No chanteuse draped in silk

I am bone and blood and sinew

I am tears and sweat and milk

And though tender and alluring

With warm, inviting lips

When once that child is threatened

I’ll stop traffic with my hips

 

Noble, fierce and savage

A primordial beast of prey

In my hunting and my gathering

Nothing stands long in my way

What transforms the meek and quiet

To a raging carnivore?

Is it love or fear or chemistry

That makes the kitty roar?

 

© 1997 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz