Jaguar

Francisco X. Alarcón

some say
I’m now almost
extinct in this park

but the people
who say this
don’t know

that by smelling
the orchids
in the trees

they’re sensing
the fragrance
of my chops

that by hearing
the rumbling
of the waterfalls

they’re listening
to my ancestors’
great roar

that by observing
the constellations
of the night sky

they’re gazing
at the star spots
on my fur

that I am and
always will be
the wild

untamed
living spirit
of this jungle

My Thoughts on the Piece

I liked the sensory imagery used in this poem because it really set the scene of an untamed flourishing jungle through the eyes of a top predator. I also like how the poem personified the jaguar and made it seem more personal.