Clockwork Tiger

Late at night
Doors are closed
In the dark, a ruby eye glows
Moonlight shines on gold and black
I arch my back

See my teeth
See them gleam
Am I real or a killing machine?
Tiptoe close
Now, don't you shrink
I'll rip your heart out if you blink

Paint my back with fearsome stripes
Forged by fire, and burning bright
Lift my head and sink my teeth
Into the man beneath

Hear me roar, hear him scream
Claws are bare in the crimson street
Watch his blood stain his coat
Feel my teeth bearing into your throat

The sultan's curse of cogs and gears
Of brass and wood, and turning spheres
My clockwork claws, they tear and grasp
The tiger groans late, roaming for blood