An Offering

I remember building a cross, not knowing
how else to save myself. This is how

tigers are born – tangerine and striped
like criminals.

Tigers are loyal. I killed a
tiger once. I seared its

meat in a cast iron skillet and saved
the fur for a buttermilk

winter. Then I made a sweater. It fit like
worlds without end so I killed another

tiger. Soon, there were lots of stripes
but not enough keratin from its tiger

claw. Just like that, beast
to stripe to claw to nail.

I had forgotten how loyal
tigers are and when I showed

God my sweater, he
gave me my salvation bare

handed. That’s why
they invented gloves.

By Jennifer Boyd

Biography:

Jennifer Boyd is a high school student from Boston, Massachusetts. She is a blog contributor at both the Huffington Post and Voices of Youth, UNICEF’s global online platform. Jennifer’s poetry has been published recently in New Plains Review, Glass Kite Anthology, the Critical Pass Review, and Tower Journal. Her work has additionally been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Hollins University, Smith College, and Princeton University. When not writing, she enjoys playing the piano, singing, and learning new languages.