The Tiger Has Come to Town

He lives in tents, trailers, abandoned taxis.
He eats tarantulas, tacos, tongues.
He loves the tango, tektite jewelry,
Tumbleweed, tearjerkers and trolleys.
He is telepathic,
Tremulous during storms,
Tolerable as a house guest,
Tiptoeing in his torn, bloodstained robe
With morning coffee.
He is terrified
Of turbulence on airplanes, tunnels,
The Taliban and trench mouth.

The tiger has come to town.
He lays out a shell game on the table.
A time travel device, a ticking bomb,
A secret I can never tell.
The choice is impossible.
I take them all.
Each in their own chapter.