More Than One

Animals, at one point in my life, fascinated me.

As a boy, I once considered becoming a naturalist.

Reading the real-life adventures of Frank Buck (later made into a 1982 TV series “Bring ’Em Back Alive” starring actor Bruce Boxleitner) did nothing to dissuade me.

Something that happened when I was but a boy may have dissuaded me.

Our family found ourself in the Bronx Zoo in NYC.

My father left me in front of the cages of the big cats and went off to find one of my siblings.

With 6 kids, he probably did more than his share of scurrying about.

I was positioned near the cage of a sizable tiger. As big cats are wont to do, he/she paced back and forth.

Perhaps it longed for a lady from Niger.

Recalling this limerick from grade school:

“There was a young lady from Niger

Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.

They came back from the ride

With the lady inside

And a smile on the face of the tiger.”

I had nothing better to do, so, after watching the animal for while, I mimicked its movements.

When it paced to, I paralleled it.

When it walked fro, I did, too.

Back and forth we went.