A blue, daft bird paid no heed

Inched forth toward the gilded pen did she speed

Caught forth in mine eyes the master of the pen:

She is a copper tiger out er' den.

And there I perched upon the ledge

Of the great rock near the cage's edge.

And the bird she chirped till the tiger purred-

Such foolishness is the mind this bird.

It was a grouse the tiger did prowl

Nary I was no bird of fowl;

Reckon'd I'd seen the grouse before

Twas' on this rock only yesterday yore.

So sweet, pray that the nights n'er end

A bird and a tiger ever on a friend.

And on that morn the sun did peak

Such trust to step off the rock to wreak

Come closer.

My rock I abandoned into the cage,

Less than a week ended the age

For the bird she saw not the tiger's prowl

Haunched forth- I chirped through the silent growl

The tiger sprang and the bird she flew

Onto the rock; she now knew:

Little imprints scarred upon her chest

The tigers claws among her crest

N'er again will I be in the pen

For now I know what of a friend.