The Tiger and the Cheshire Cat

Do Tigers purr when well pleased?
And what is it that can be said to please a tiger best?
But the tiger is really just the Cheshire cat in another guise,
Teaser and the Firecat is another subtle Cheshire jest,
Still the tiger stares, the world reflected in clear amber eyes.

Leave behind just an enigmatic grin
What better way to shield oneself from prying eyes?
The memory of the tiger hidden from public gaze
Danger concealed in the marmalade cat’s disguise
Not quite as harmless as everyone says.

Look around and just behind,
Drifting in mid-air just above the wall,
The Cheshire cat’s knowing eyes, a disembodied head
Disconcertingly smiles, reads your mind and knows it all
The Tiger licks its lips, the desire for power well fed.

Forever young is just a state of mind
The Tiger ageless stalks the corridors of thought
Soft footfalls, silken breath and only the Tiger’s shadow seen
Just the Cheshire cat appears when the Tiger is sought
You can find the cat, but the tiger lives in the places between.

Soft, silent, sinuous the Tiger’s stripes
Merge with the marmalade silk of the Firecat’s coat
Master of illusion the Cheshire cat slowly disappears
The echo of laughter swirls in the air as though afloat
On dreams of the Tiger’s strength, legend of yesteryears.

Once you find the place between, where Tiger dwells
Look past the Cheshire cat to find what’s behind the looking glass
In the places between, you’ll watch Life’s rich tapestry unfold
The place between where there is neither future nor past
Life is lived in precious present time, nothing new and nothing old.

Strange how happenstance, synchronicity and serendipity
Can bring the most precious gifts that in life you find
The Cheshire cat, the Firecat and the Tiger arrive unbidden
All for one and one for all, taming the Tiger of the Mind
Was always my quest, in the place between, Tiger and I are hidden.