Leave my claws alone!!
They're retractable aren't they,
And you'd never known they were there
If you'd approached me the right way.

Forsake the knives and anesthesia
There's no need for surgery
When the sand threatens to quick
I can seek safety in a tree.

They don’t affect my purring
Don’t I get a vote?
And they protect me from the pachers
That wish to steal my coat.

They're how I make my living
Would you have me instead to die?
I would be less handicapped
If instead you took my eyes.

I know that you don’t have them
And that you want me to conform
But since we're individuals
Isn't diversity the norm?

I wont apologize for using them
When I need to to survive
They also serve to give notice
To those who would connive.

They may be sharp, but shapely
I think they're quite pretty
And if you take away my claws
You take away a part of me.

I grew them when I was a cub
Since I didn’t have much might
And if you plan to take them away from me now
Be sure to expect a fight.

I didn’t choose to be this way
But I've adapted remarkably
A solution would truly be ideal
But it's NOT to take my claws from me

Cage me if you feel you must
Or place me in the wild, away
But as I remain upon this earth
My Claws are here to stay.