Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

I'm not entirely sure what this poem is about, but the title intrigued me. I'm assuming the speaker is a child, watching her aunt weave or knit something on a screen (do you knit or weave on a screen?) and she's knitting tigers. Why she describes the tigers as topaz is a little confusing...topaz is a reddish color, but perhaps when woven, the yarn isn't quite the color of orange, but more reddish instead. Maybe it's as vivid as topaz is, and maybe that's why she chose to use that color. I love how she personifies these tigers, which I don't think in actuality are animate objects...but on the screen they look heroic and courageous. In the third line it says "They do not fear the men beneath the tree;" which I'm assuming again, are men that are put into this picture, but it could also be seen as Aunt Jennifer herself. The tigers don't fear Aunt Jennifer, even though she is human, because she's the one who's making them.

I love the shift on thought in the second stanza too. Poor Aunt Jennifer seems old and frail. I hope she gets to finish her piece.

Then the poem is ended with a hint of happiness almost. Even after Aunt Jennifer dies (which further emphasizes my theory that she is old and will be gone soon) the stuff she has birthed will live on. The tigers will look no different no matter what happens.

This is a really touching poem for me, because my grandma was a handy person who loved to make art s and crafts like these. And now, even though she's gone, what she has done for me will always be there. My grandma was big on keeping things neat and organized, and labeled. There are boxes all over the house with her handwriting on it, specifying what's in each of those boxes. Her handwriting appears strong and invulnerable. Even though she's gone, the strength she projected through her hand-work will always be there.