She stares with eyes as blue as mine. Fiercer, though, perhaps. My teasing classmates press their oily faces to the glass, whoop and holler, but the white tiger neverminds. She strides forward in her enclosure with great purposeful paws, straight at me, only a safety bar and a thick slab of plexiglass to separate us. Maybe the big cat's just hungry and senses a meaty snack, like the middle-school bullies surrounding me. I am heavy-set, sensitive, quiet. Always easy prey. No. Eyes blue as mine, misfit to misfit, I'd like to think she knows something kindred when she sees it.
Kendra Cardin creates a safe harbor for herself with poetry and storytelling. Her writings have been featured in a variety of publications.