THE TIGER

Claw marking, Mathos.

Mathos, the idea behind your poem is really powerful. I especially like these two stanzas:

"The tiger he gave out a roar,
The jungle came alive,
Monkey's chattered in the trees,
Bees buzzed around the hive.

A small deer jumped a fallen tree,
It pranced across the glade,
I rolled a little to my right
Taking shelter in the shade."

I would, however, suggest that you change the title as it has been used by our predecessors. <smile>


I would also suggest that you choose a different word other than "impressive" as it does not suggest the raw fear that the narrator must be feeling when face to face with an angry jungle beast.

Well, Brit, you have inspired me and Endymion to write, and that is the best thing of all.

Your views and comments are much appreciated LLL, I have a few thoughts on the same and will take your advice.

Hi LLL

How would 'majestic' sound to replace impressive?

I want to give the feeling of awe coupled with respect, I have sat with, stroked and administered milk and antibiotics to a fully grown Tiger in The Tiger Temple at Kanchanaburi in Thailand. It is well documented on a video I will always treasure.

I also got pretty chummy with a superb lioness about ten years ago, somewhere I have a photograph of that occasion, I will try to find it and send it to you.

1986 in Bali, my wife and younger daughter were attacked by a group of small monkeys, I obviously ran to their aid swinging a large video camera at them, I got bit quite badly by one of them.

How do I edit the poem? Is it possible no edit button is apparent, perhaps I will have to re-write it all?

A new title!!! Difficult that.. I will think on it.

Thank you for your input Letty it is very much appreciated.

Mathos, you are doing fine, my friend. Wow! I believe that I would rather be looked at with angry eyes than attacked by a group of monkeys. Those critters can carry terrible diseases.

I just enjoy seeing you write poetry. <smile>

I'm being cheeky here, I asked Aidan to pass comment on this poem via a different route.

She didn't!

So it's here now Aidan, just in case you missed it.

Never mind cheeky- more like greedy. I commented on both of your poems and posted on your bull thread. But no - that's not enough. You have to have both of your most recent poems showcased.

Okay - I liked the way that the protagonist allowed his nervousness to show through. That was unusual- especially for a guy. Usually, they act as if they're not even breaking a sweat even as they contend with such a ferocious and dangerous animal. So that was kind of interesting in an endearing sort of way.

I also liked the way the protagonist used context clues. He noticed that the tiger had recently fed and intelligently deducted that this might be the factor that would save his life. This added just the right amount of realism- because anyone who has studied animals in the natural world knows that once they have eaten and are sated - they would rather sleep until they're hungry again than go on the attack.

And I liked the last verse. It sets up just the right amount of tension and allows for a future encounter. You should write a sequel Mathos. And maybe you could include the adventure with the monkeys attacking your wife and daughter in the next one. You'd be intent on slaying the tiger and the monkeys could come clamoring out of nowhere.

Thanks for that Aidan, I'll bear it in mind.

Do you have a problem with me being greedy?

One important issue life has taught me young lady, if you don't ask you don't get.

There is a common sense factor in most of lives occurences of danger, it's analysing the situation as quickly as possible that is the answer and I think if that capability is not a natural talent then the pit becomes much deeper.

I think your asking a bit much though, tiger on a second encounter, family with me, monkey's jumping on me again, after a conflict with the tiger, they would have been long gone. Monkeys can be extremely aggressive, I have found that out on a few occasions, but if one screams out in pain, they normally break and scamper. I once saw about eight monkey's attack a large dog, it turned viciously on one, and had it by the back of the neck, the others were pulling and biting it quite savagely, then it shook the monkey it was holding very strongly, it screamed 'blue murder' and the remainder scarpered into the trees el pronto!

Did you see in the newspapers today, those Yorkies, have seen a tiger on the loose. They must all be mad?

Mathos - you have to do something more in depth with the monkeys. You just have to. It would be so funny - come on. I understand if you want to keep your wife and daughters safely on the sidelines - but the image of you swinging that video camera at a pack of wild monkeys would be absolutely priceless.

I haven't read the papers today. Did a tiger escape from the zoo? That happened one time in New Jersey. I kid you not.

The image of the occurence is recorded for ever on video. I was videoing a temple, my wife and younger daughter ****** were feeding a whole lot of monkey's with nuts. Both of them earlier that day had their hair braided (is that what you call it with those multi-coloured beads and Rastafarian type look?) The monkey's took a fancy to the beads and tried to pull them, you can imagine the pain they were in, they screamed and both of them were pulled to the floor, the camera recorded it up to there. Then I went for them swinging the camera, it was a large one which held and recorded on a full size tape. The camera by now is picking up a mad blur as I swung it at the little devils, three or four of them jumped on me and one of them bit me quite nastily. I managed to scatter them, but it was iodine all round and we all got checked out properly when we got back to the UK.

I cannot imagine a tiger being loose in Yorkshire, can you?

A tiger loose in Yorkshire? I wouldn't know - I've yet to visit there. It is definitely on my list of places to get to this summer though.

Mathos - don't tell your wife and daughter how hard I laughed at that image of them having their braids and beads pulled from their heads by the monkeys because they were probably traumatized by it and if they knew I was laughing they'd probably never forgive me- but oh god - okay I'll stop - that's just too funny.

Is your younger daughter Klondyke or Myrtle?

I think I probably named the younger daughter Myrtle, it is a pleasant name.


They were quite brave actually, despite beng pulled to the floor and being badly scratched, plus the obvious pain from having their hair pulled they only screamed for me the once, and I do recall Myrtle shouting, 'Get them dad'


My wife and self always do adventure holidays so the escapades we have been involved in and crazy places we visit are totally alien to occidental living.

I think we are extremely lucky to be so like minded when it comes to that sort of being. We have been arrested, held in a bamboo cage, insulted, threatened with a revolver rammed into my face, we once even faced a howling mob of Muslims who objected to my wifes shorts and top.

Now those sort of experiences in life give you a zest to stay fit enough to keep up with the crazy desires and difficult challenges. Right now we are working on a schedule for a very long trip involving Kunming, the Yunnan territories, mountain villages, hill tribes etc etc. We also intend living on the Yangtze River for ten days or so to see some places that interest us greatly.

Sometimes when we talk, we discuss the day that we will no longer be able to do such things, it gives us cause for concern, so we blank it out.
'File that' my wife will say, 'We don't need that.'

We realise the importance of good health, eat well, exercise and work hard. We have the bad habit of smoking, that must be conquered and we are aware of it.

Not meaning to vaunt, but I have as good a physique if not better than most in their 30's. My wife is petite, extremely curvaceous and still an extremely beautiful woman. I consider myself lucky to have her.

So, no Aidan, she wouldn't mind you laughing at all.

I think I probably named the younger daughter Myrtle, it is a pleasant name.


They were quite brave actually, despite beng pulled to the floor and being badly scratched, plus the obvious pain from having their hair pulled they only screamed for me the once, and I do recall Myrtle shouting, 'Get them dad'


My wife and self always do adventure holidays so the escapades we have been involved in and crazy places we visit are totally alien to occidental living.

I think we are extremely lucky to be so like minded when it comes to that sort of being. We have been arrested, held in a bamboo cage, insulted, threatened with a revolver rammed into my face, we once even faced a howling mob of Muslims who objected to my wifes shorts and top.

Now those sort of experiences in life give you a zest to stay fit enough to keep up with the crazy desires and difficult challenges. Right now we are working on a schedule for a very long trip involving Kunming, the Yunnan territories, mountain villages, hill tribes etc etc. We also intend living on the Yangtze River for ten days or so to see some places that interest us greatly.

Sometimes when we talk, we discuss the day that we will no longer be able to do such things, it gives us cause for concern, so we blank it out.
'File that' my wife will say, 'We don't need that.'

We realise the importance of good health, eat well, exercise and work hard. We have the bad habit of smoking, that must be conquered and we are aware of it.

Not meaning to vaunt, but I have as good a physique if not better than most in their 30's. My wife is petite, extremely curvaceous and still an extremely beautiful woman. I consider myself lucky to have her.

So, no Aidan, she wouldn't mind you laughing at all.

I've grown to love it as I told you, I associate it with my mother.



Nice- I could- and still can - always count on my Dad too. It's a wonderful feeling for a daughter to be able to have. I think your daughters are lucky to have you.

That sounds like fun. What are you referring to when you say "occidental living". I'd be interested to hear in what ways it is culturally different than most British farming families.


Yes, it sounds like you have similar adventurous spirits. I don't think you'd find many women who would bear up gracefully under such stressful incidents - so it is lucky that you are both in agreement that your adventures are worth such frightening hassles.

Sounds fabulous.


She sounds like a wise woman.




She sounds wonderful- adventurous, beautiful, down to earth and practical. It definitely sounds as if you are lucky. I'd love to meet her sometime.

Myrtle isn't her real name you barmy bat!

Occidental living Aidan is paradise compared to how the hill tribe people live. Dirt floors in the main, poorly constructed timber shacks, no running water, no electricity, no shops or conveniences. Wild beasts of the jungle to contend with.

Karen on the Thai/Burmese border. Murdered, raped, mutilated on a regular basis by Burmese soldiers.

No hospitals, a Shaman who might cut a chickens throat, mix up some herbs, drink the lot and go into an LSD type trance and rub cow **** on an open wound.

Landmines, children and adults having their legs blown off, or simply blown to pieces. Those that venture into Thailand as refugees used like pack horses, women, girls, children forced into prostitution. How they are treated then is anybody's guess. Forced to work for a year for food only and that is meagre, then simply killed when they ask or demand money.

I could blow your mind with this subject, and what I could tell you is not fit to be printed on these pages.

I sometimes have nightmares about the things I have both witnessed and been made aware of. A plume of dark smoke from the jungle normally denotes a Karen body being burned, it only takes three tyres.

In what context did you experience all of these things Mathos? I would be interested to hear about it. I do know that I have very little experience or understanding of what most of the world's populations contend with on a day to day basis.

It's raining here too. I didn't have any lessons this morning, so I got to stay home and work. But I have to go out in it now, as I have a tutorial this afternoon. Since it's raining and you can't work outside - why don't you tell me about your experiences in Thailand?

To start with, what are you referring to when you use the term "Karen" (I'm assuming it's different than my frame of reference in which is is just a girl's name.)

*Mathos - why on earth would you lie about your daughter's name? It's like I tell my kids - "If you're willing to lie to me about one thing - how am I supposed to know you're not lying about everything else?"
(Since I can't do quotes - I'll do emoticons).

I am having a great deal of trouble staying on A2K

I didn't lie to you, I merely told you that as you had not sent me your e-mail address, which I don't want now anyhow, Klondyke & Myrtle would have to suffice.

Its not raining either I am doing paperwork and EOM requirements

Oh God Mathos - I was kidding around about that whole lying thing. Didn't you see the big old smiley face at the end of that paragraph? That meant , "Don't take any of this seriously."

Why are you having trouble staying on A2K?

It's because it's doing his head in making up all this bullshit which makes him sound like a cross between Tarzan and Einstein with a dash of Clark Gable coming in from his medieval royal ancestry.

He's probably a bow-leggeded,cross-eyed,skint flat dweller,as bald as a coot and with a wart on the end of his nose with a hair growing out of it.