Hello there! It's been another long while for me since I last submitted something to this site, but I'm glad to be doing so now! This is something I'm submitting here so my fellow wikians on the Kung Fu Panda Wiki will enjoy what little fanon I've added to the fandom. Hope it's decent enough! :)

This was originally written back in late 2008 for my high school English class. The assignment was to "Write Something," and at the time I was in full obsession with Kung Fu Panda. So I spewed this out one night and entitled it "A Shattered Dream." I later changed the name and a few words in the poem to make it match more to the character being described.

Who is the character? If it wasn't obvious from the title, it's Tigress, who was (at the time) my favorite character from the movie. When I first wrote it, I was also originally thinking about including this in a set of poems, each focusing on a different character from the Panda films. I might still do that, but we'll see...

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings - onto the poem. In the words of Master Shifu: "Enjoy!"

~ Rose

TITLE: Underneath Those Black Stripes (originally submitted in my English assignment as "A Shattered Dream")
CATEGORY: Movies - Kung Fu Panda
RATING: K
GENRES: Poetry | Friendship
SUMMARY: "... a deeper past / Hides the hushed whispers, / Those that shelter underneath that orange sun, / Behind all the faith / And love and leadership, / Hides the ambition of the greatly-feared one." Oneshot poem tribute to Master Tigress.
AUTHOR: One . Summer . Rose

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Kung Fu Panda franchise in any way possible!
Kung Fu Panda (c) DreamWorks Animation
This poem (c) ME!

Underneath Those Black Stripes
- - -

Strong and bold,

Excelling in your skills,

No more a match than any other foe,

Lively and fierce

Day in and day out,

Tireless energy you continue to show.

.

A leader of sorts

With a striking look,

Orange and black never stood out so tall,

Confidence and pride

In those luminous eyes,

You hold one of the greatest weapons of all.

.

But a deeper past

Hides the hushed whispers,

Those that shelter underneath that orange sun,

Behind all the faith

And love and leadership,

Hides the ambition of the greatly-feared one.

.

A shattered dream,

Your destiny denied,

Who could live with such a conscience of hate?

He certainly had,

And yet, you didn't care,

Never would you stand back and accept such a fate.

.

Your skills meant nothing,

Not even to your master,

A familiar circumstance unveiled at last,

Resentment and bitterness,

Your quiet malignity,

Who had I seen before this monster reached past?

.

Anger indeed,

A familiar state,

Perspective has changed; it reflects clear and true,

Those fearful eyes,

And faded screams,

Childhood seems able to bring down even you.

.

Time unveiled,

Secrets unfurled,

Acceptance was never an easy task to succumb,

Weakness is natural,

Fear makes it show,

An equal among us you have finally become.

.

Remember this,

For he never had,

That self-importance was always the key,

Your destiny awaits,

Don't let your fear show,

Tackle the challenge like you had done so with me.

In case you didn't catch it: That "me" at the end indicates someone (another character) wrote this and intended for her to read it. Brownie points to anyone who can guess who... :)

So there you go! I hope you liked it. If not, I blame my 16-year-old self. :P Either way, feel free to leave me a review - I accept and appreciate praiseful and/or constructive comments. Thanks!

~ Rose