living with stripes
In tigers zebras,
and other striped creatures,
any casual posture
plays one set of lines
against another:
herringbones and arrows
appear and disappear;
chevrons widen and narrow.
miniature themes and counter points
occur flexing and extending
of the smaller joints.
how can they stand to drink,
when lapping further complicates
the way water duplicates their lines?
knowing how their heads will zigzag out,
I wonder if the dread to start sometimes.
by Kay Ryan
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