Chatoyance *

[Tanner]

From the dark river's edge I watched
As they brought you caged on the barge
Captured in the rainforest of Belize

Your ancestors who stalked their prey
With vigilance roamed the savannahs
Of the vast Pleistocene my black jaguar

I want to disguise myself in perpetual
Surveillance of the only heaven laid bare
Your eye fires adrift beyond my care

[RhymeLovingWriter]

'...eye fires adrift beyond my care', very magical phrasing in this Tanner. I've long been mesmerized by the sound of French and hope to learn it one day. Your poetry so often has an epic feel - not a lot of words, but they bespeak cavernous realities of universe and time.

[grant hayes]

This is Tanner from the top drawer. Evocative, image-rich, musical, observant ... moving.

[lunar glide]

aaah yes tanner! the cat has given this poem its mysterious power.

[MHenry]

As the observer, or certainly in the shoes, sandals, or bare feet of the observer, imagining what life might have been like for the hapless caged black jaguar you watch from the river's edge, you transport us back as well. The last stanza makes me think you represent all humanity, guiltless over the defilement of nature. This poem bears the stamp of 'Tanner magic.'

[Tanner]

To ALL thank you for your insightful comments. I believe chatoyance actually refers to the changes in the perception of light as seen in cats' eyes (if memory serves me correct).