WHITE MENACE

The bright white tiger stood his ground,
Surveying here and there...
His forehead looked as if he frowned,
So tense and full of care.
Like Indians with warpaint on,
His face was one to fear.
Like fur with tattoos etched upon,
He'd won his stripes, my dear...
This wondrous creature made me pause...
As if to memorise...
As if forgetting teeth and claws
And only seeing eyes...
Those eyes, like circles of the soul...
Like marbles of the mind...
Those eyes, like sapphires, dark as coal...
And yet what lurked behind?
While beauty glorified this beast,
I knew his nature well.
I'd seen him hunt, I'd seen him feast...
The tales that I could tell!
For now, I watched him silently,
Because he didn't know.
If he found out, then certainly,
That was the time to go.
How long would tigers like him last?
So wondrous to behold!
Ferocious, feisty and so fast,
With callous heart so cold.
Not one of us is meant to stay...
We're born, we live, we die.
To live and let live, that's my way.
Let others judge, not I...


Denis Martindale, copyright, June 2009.



The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'White Menace'.

I wrote this on seeing the White Menace framed print
imagining what it would be like to be near this creature.
Artist Stephen Gayford captures the animal's mystique:

http://poem.says.it

Shared on
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/white-menace/

Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/whitemenace

The Gayford poems can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/gayfordpoems

The framed pictures are bought from these websites:
http://www.bid.tv

(bid tv is on UK Freeview and Sky Digital)

http://www.price-drop.tv

http://www.speedauction.tv