It's the dead of night,
Silence is deafening.
The only light is cast from the moon.
Dressed in a white flowing gown,
The figure seems to be a ghost,
Walking near the lake.
The figure is my inner being.

I walk along the water's edge
Bend down and run my fingers through the water.
Racing through my fingers,
It reminds me of silk.
The silence is broken suddenly.
I spin around in the direction of the noise.
The leaves gently move.
Scared to move, I stand there.
Two eyes appear, I gasp and hold my breath.

The figure peering at me moves,
With another rustle of leaves it approaches.
The beast moves toward me.
I let loose the breath I had been holding.
The wind kicks up,
My dress billows out behind me,
The beast is exotic.
It's not a beat at all but a white tiger.

We stand facing each other for what seems like years.
Then gently and ever so slightly, he takes a step.
Gently he walks past me and I'm not afraid.
The moon shimmers on the lake.
I watch him step in the water,
Ripples stretch across touching every part,
Letting them know he's there.
I turn slowly until I'm facing him.
He looks back at me,
This is the invitation.
He stares at me until I begin to move.
The wind kicks up again,
I'm standing ankle deep in water now.
The tiger is taking me deeper.
I'm unaware that I'm surrounded by these exotic beast.
The white gown I'm wearing flows with the water and darkness.
It now clings to me as I'm waist deep in water.
I can feel the bottom against my bare feet.
The tiger continues to move.
I see we are headed for the moonlite reflection.
He looks back at me once or twice to see if I'm still near.
We reach the moonlite reflection adn stand there.
What we are sharing is between us.

We stand there for what seems like years.
I catch the tiger's eye and hold it.
Tears fill my eyes because I sense pain.
Pain only one can feel who has felt this pain before.
The tiger moves closer but I stay where I am.
When he reaches my side, I bend down and touch him.
He's strong, mighty, mystical, and gentle all at the same time.
As I raise my arms, I catch sight of scars crisscrossing my arm,
Symbols of the pain and void I felt in life.
The tiger moves gently and begins to lick my wounds.
He understands my fear is not of him but of myself.
Others said they never wanted to see me get hurt,
Thus, they closed their eyes when I cried.
Standing her now, this beast understands what they could not.
We stand there for the longest time quietly sharing our pain.
After what seems like forever, we near shore.
Once back on the embankment, I become aware of the surround beast.

This still does not frighten me but comforts me
I lay down on the side of the lake.
Nothing feels right in this world
But here in the middle of the forest with these beast
Everything is calm.
The tigers lay down near and around me.
My fortress, my shield.
Under the moonlite we rest,
Our pain being shared.
Not a single sound is spoken,
There is no need.
Our faces and eyes say it all for pain is in the eye of the beholder.
Under the moonlight we rest,
No one may believe,
But I know what's real.
And I know what we shared
Is a pain,
No one else can feel.