On one side of the iris
is a green tiger passing
On the other is a mountain
of gray stone with deep
cracks where the iris
burrows and chokes
On the other side of a silver river
a green tiger passes
The sun burns black
deep in the iris
And the moon casts
its shadow inside a tiger’s
eye where the iris
tells tales purple yellow
and green. Orange ducks float
like nebula in the pond
and the green tiger passes
into the mist and never goes home.
The green tiger passes
The stone mountain quakes
under the moon above the river.
The ducks go unnoticed
They tell tales of tigers
whispering on the pond
where iris bear the weight
of mountain
tiger
mist
passing.
