VANTAGE POINT

This tree was his, he'd staked his claim,
Yes, every leaf and twig...
The leopard watched approaching game,
No matter, small or big...
He circled round to catch the sights,
To memorise them all...
And while he savoured these delights,
Made sure he didn't fall.
His old tree wasn't quite as good,
This served his purpose well...
As he surveyed his neighbourhood,
Its magic weaved its spell...
This was a land he'd learnt to love,
The best that he could roam,
A palace where he'd rule above,
A kingdom near his home...
Yes, life was good, for him at least,
Yet not for those below...
For they'd learnt fast to fear the beast,
To count him as their foe...
The predator looked sleek, sublime,
Alert both night and day...
Yet from his vantage point, in time,
He'd take your breath away...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Vantage Point'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/vantage-point-3/

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

BLACK BEAUTY

Behold the black panther's beauty!
That striking set of eyes!
Yet survival sets its duty -
To hunt until he dies...
So each night, he's slowly bidden
To stalk his prey once more...
Within that darkness he's hidden,
In silence, to be sure...
He treads the ground with gentle paws,
He sniffs the breeze for clues,
He hides his teeth, he hides his claws,
This untamed wild recluse...
The night is young, his turn will come...
His blood runs cold each time...
His heart is beating like a drum...
Yet onward he must climb.
The hours pass, yet he must wait...
The vigil must be kept.
No rest, he mustn't hesitate...
He mustn't be inept!
Was that a rustling dead ahead?
Was that his answered prayer?
Was that a creature that just fled?
All he could do was stare!
Here was the beauty and the beast...
The devil in disguise...
With hunger raging, unappeased...
Till something near him dies...
I pity him, his victims, too...
Is there no other way?
Each night they do what they must do,
The hunter and the prey...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Black Beauty'.

Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/black-beauty-6/

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

The polar bear looked at her child,
The one she must defend,
The son who soon would face the wild,
The one who was her friend...
The tiny cub looked up above,
To see his mother there,
The one who filled his heart with love
And melted every care.
Their togetherness and gentleness
Remain a sight to see.
To those who share their happiness,
There's no great mystery...
For each shares hope, as days go by,
With bonds they share for life,
That help them bear and thus defy
The troubles and the strife.
If Nature didn't cultivate
The love that these two own,
Then each of them would face their fate
Unaided, all alone...
Through families, life perseveres,
For we know we belong...
Surviving through the passing years,
Resilient, ever strong.
Persistence and tenacity,
These strengths have proved enough...
Formed now in every family
With tenderness and love...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Hope For The Future'.
Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hope-for-the-future-2/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/hopeforthefuture

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

DEEP FREEZE

As the snow was going nowhere,
The tiger settled still...
Content that he saw nothing there,
He rested on the hill.
He looked to both the left and right,
From his high point of view
And all he saw was white, white, white!
And so, what could he do?

He yawned at so much tedium...
With nothing there to eat...
And coldness filled him to the brim
And gone all trace of heat!
Somehow, he felt he couldn't win!
"Why can't I fly like birds?"
"Why me?" he asked, with such chagrin!
In short-clipped angry words...

Of course, we know, life isn't fair!
For some, it's way too cold.
Yet starving was so hard to bear...
And he was getting old!
He wasn't like he used to be,
So fast upon his feet.
"I'm getting on, that's plain to see...
Now things are not so sweet!"

And so he moaned, like old folks do,
About his aches and pains...
Stuck to that hill as if with glue...
Then suddenly, it rains...
"For pity sake!" he groaned again...
"This really's not my day!"
And so he stood, right there and then...
And sighed... and walked away...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Deep Freeze'.
Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/deep-freeze-2/

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

KEEPING WATCH

The zebras stood there in a line
And almost side-by-side.
Their eyes were staring for a sign
That could serve as a guide.
If dangers lurked, then eyes and ears
Would warn them when to run...
Their instincts helped them through the years,
Yet they must fight the sun...
For up above, it blasted down
With heat beyond belief...
To melt the blue, the green and brown
And linger like a thief...
Just one mistake and some would die
And so they stood and chewed...
And watched each hour pass them by,
In their long solemn mood...
No false alarms had happened yet
And so they stood their ground...
United in each other's debt
For anything they found...
A sudden stirring chilled their blood!
In seconds, they had gone!
Like cavalry, their hooves would thud,
As lions stood alone...
This battle won, the zebras lived
To see another day...
With vigilence their greatest gift,
They chewed and chewed away...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Keeping Watch'.
Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/keeping-watch/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/keepingwatch

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

READY TO POUNCE

When every single second counts,
The cougar bides his time...
Above the rock, ready to pounce,
His skills are quite sublime...
He has no choice, it's Nature's way...
He starves or eats again...
This solemn truth he must obey
And has since God knows when...
His father did as he does now,
His son will do the same...
The hunt goes on and must, somehow,
In search of life to claim...
He can't escape what must be done,
For him, there's no way out...
The hunter waits, hid by the sun,
With hungry eyes that scout.
Is that his next meal over there?
Or must he starve some more?
The pain inside is hard to bear,
Yet soon he'll know the score...
Above the rock, ready to pounce,
His skills are quite sublime...
When every single second counts,
The cougar bides his time...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Ready To Pounce'.

Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ready-to-pounce/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/readytopounce

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv

INDIAN NOBILITY

The tiger treads the trails once more -
They're all he's ever known...
Nobility he has galore,
Such dignity to own.
He strides across the ancient earth
As Nature's masterpiece...
With every step, he proves his worth,
As everyone agrees.
The tiger's trained himself to fight,
So he can stand his ground...
Not like a coward that takes flight
And then is seldom found...
He bears the scars upon his back,
His glories from his wins -
They're almost hidden in the black
And orange on this prince.
He stood the victor at the end,
The champion of each one...
The conqueror and not the friend,
When all's been said and done...
Who likes to lose, who likes to fail,
Who likes to quit in shame?
Behold him now, this alpha male,
His majesty, his fame...
He needs no crown, no royal ring,
No sceptre shining out...
You look at him and know one thing,
He's regal without doubt.
Who knows how long he can survive
This modern world he shares?
Yet every day he stays alive
Depends upon our prayers...

Denis Martindale, copyright, October 2009.

My Poetry website: http://poem.says.it

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Indian Nobility'.

Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/indian-nobility/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/indiannobility

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems or
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems2
http://denis-martindale.blogspot.com

The framed pictures are bought from these UK websites:
http://www.bid.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.price-drop.tv (on UK Freeview)
http://www.speedauction.tv