I am a paper tiger,
a solid pretending
to be so much stronger
than a liquid or gas.
I get defensive and
hope you won't
get close enough to see
how easily I shred,
how tears make
me vulnerable
to de-composition.
I am a paper tiger
made from bark
not nearly strong enough
to allow me to bite.
I can only cut
your tender fingers
and make your ink bleed,
but in return,
you can tear me up
and leave me broken
in a bin marked--
"please recycle"
Yes, I am merely
a paper tiger,
no stronger than
the words that
I leave behind,
my legacy.