In Memory of Tiger

A comforting friend during a stressful time (Tisen at the vet with Tiger)

The Tyger

-William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Tiger can be partially seen at the far left

With great sadness, I write of the loss of Tiger. Tiger was one of our small, furry family members. Tiger was a good friend to Tisen. He patiently allowed Tisen to carry him around like a doll–never complaining or even struggling.

Sadly, Tiger disappeared about 3 days ago. He’d accompanied Tisen on a walk, hanging from Tisen’s mouth when last seen. He then disappeared somewhere in the park. Several searches failed to find Tiger; we’ve decided it’s time to acknowledge Tiger is gone for good.

Our Tiger didn’t have such a fearful symmetry–his long and floppy legs wouldn’t hold his weight, let alone allow him to spring unexpectedly upon prey. He didn’t strike fear in anyone’s heart. I suppose the silly expression undermined ferocity.

Tiger looks like he’s wearing a hat, but it’s really Duck behind him

Around here, Tiger wasn’t valued for his fierceness–he was valued for his squeak. He was a Tisen favorite. Unfortunately, Tisen got hot while carrying Tiger and set him down so he could pant. Mommy wasn’t paying attention and we’d made a lap around the park before it dawned on Mommy that someone was missing.

My favorite Tiger story is from about 6 months ago. I was walking through the park and Tisen had dropped Tiger on that day as well. I’d picked up Tiger and then run into a man with his dog. We exchanged greetings and dog information and then he went on his way.

In a recent family portrait, Tisen seemed to seek Tiger out

A few minutes later, Tisen decided he wanted to carry Tiger again. We walked along at a quick pace with Tisen proudly holding Tiger in his mouth. We caught up to the man and his dog in the process. When the man saw Tisen with Tiger, he burst out laughing and said, “Oh! That’s his tiger! I was wondering!” Proof that when I suspected people thought I suffered from a disorder that caused me to compulsively carry stuffed animals, I wasn’t being paranoid.

I will miss having people wonder why I am carrying a stuffed Tiger with me through the park. Tisen, however, seems to have moved on–he happily grabbed Hedge Hog when Tiger was no where to be found.