SISTERS

The lionesses rested there,
Two sisters side-by-side...
Both breathing gently, without care,
Yet their eyes open wide...
The day was long, the air was still,
The sun was warm not hot
And clouds sailed by the distant hill,
While they stayed in their spot...
To some, these were of royal birth,
Princesses and revered.
To others, they possessed no worth
And nothing to be cheered...
Yet for each other, there was love,
Affection day-by-day...
A tenderness that proved enough,
No matter, come what may...
As tiny cubs, they'd fooled around,
Rejoicing playfully...
Receiving every sight and sound,
With thanks they'd been born free...
For them, the training ground must wait
Until another time...
The time was now, their adult state,
When they were in their prime...
Each day, their hunting skills combined
To grant them new success
And having dined, they now reclined,
Both comfy, more or less...
They lived their lives, as lions must,
In order to survive...
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...
Or hunt to stay alive...

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Sisters'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/sisters-43/

The Stephen Gayford Gallery website is here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com

Update: My poem, 'An Ode To Stephen Gayford' is featured in
the website's News Section!
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/news.htm

There's also a Guest Book!
http://users2.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g25-52612-21

The Stephen 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

WINTER PERFECTION

They say the dog is Man's best friend,
His buddy, through and through...
You can depend he will defend,
So credit where it's due...
Yet from the wild wolf he was tamed
And brought into the home,
Where he plays free and unashamed,
Wherever he may roam...
To think, the wolf once crossed the globe,
The forests, plains and hills...
And every valley Man could probe,
The wild wolf hunts and kills.
Beyond the cities, Nature rules
The hunter and the prey...
When Summer dies, the Autumn cools,
Then Winter haunts each day.
The blinding snow falls to the ground
And freezes far and wide...
It's then the white wolf roams around
And has no need to hide.
His camouflage is perfect now,
Successful hunts ensue...
The truth is harsh, yet fates allow
The things the wolf must do...

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Winter Perfection'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/winter-perfection-2/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/winterperfection

The Stephen Gayford Gallery website is here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com

Update: My poem, 'An Ode To Stephen Gayford' is featured in
the website's News Section!
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/news.htm

There's also a Guest Book!
http://users2.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g25-52612-21

The Stephen 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

ON THE EDGE

The polar bear has lasted well,
Outliving those we've lost...
Some species merely stay a spell
And then they pay the cost...
Extinction takes its toll each year
And sometimes Man's to blame
And there's no doubt, it's crystal clear...
Let's bow our heads in shame...
Adopt a polar bear, some say...
Conserve what still remains...
We can postpone that final day,
If we just use our brains!
Resources come, resources go...
That's just the way it is.
We need to make their numbers grow...
Before things go amiss...
Their future's truly in our hands
And in our wallets, too.
How wise is he who understands
And does what he must do.
How blessed are those that say their prayers
For healing on this Earth.
God hears our thoughts for polar bears
Because they, too, have worth.
Yes, it's great, we've got the knowledge,
So we can change their fate!
If not, they'll die! They're on the edge!
Extinction! Gone! Too late!

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'On The Edge'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-the-edge-17/

It's sad to read about the world today and the way
Man could be destroying the world a little at a time.
That's why the polar bears are on the edge of extinction.
This new poem asks us to respond while there's still time.

The Stephen Gayford Gallery website is here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com

Update: My poem, 'An Ode To Stephen Gayford' is featured in
the website's News Section!
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/news.htm

There's also a Guest Book!
http://users2.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g25-52612-21

The Stephen 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

SNOW LEOPARD

The snow leopard stared intently,
At all things near and far...
While at times, he looked quite friendly,
You know how wild cats are.
A tiny cat can mew meow
And people say, how cute!
Yet time goes on, then fates allow
That cat to be a brute!

The snow leopard stood serenely,
His paws poised on the pulse...
With his eyes surveying keenly,
As in all leopards' skulls...
While his heart was beating slowly...
His mind was thinking fast.
Though his hunting skills weren't holy,
He didn't look downcast.

Survival favours those that eat
A hearty meal each day,
Enduring both the cold and heat,
Outwitting all their prey.
That's why the leopard had to learn
That patience is the key...
And why, he, too, must wait his turn,
For breakfast, lunch and tea...

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Snow Leopard'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/snow-leopard/

The Stephen Gayford Gallery website is here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com
Update: My poem, 'An Ode To Stephen Gayford' is featured in
the website's News Section!
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/news.htm
There's also a Guest Book!
http://users2.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g25-52612-21

The Stephen 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

EVER WATCHFUL

As the ever watchful cheetah
Was resting on the ground,
She believed no-one could beat her
While listening for each sound,
Yet her eyes could see much further
Than pricked ears could relay
And so her eyes would serve her,
Protecting her each day.
A mother's love is diligent
And seeks the common good...
Her eyes are always vigilant
To scan her neighbourhood...
So watch out, fellow predator,
This cheetah's wide awake...
And be wise, don't seek to hurt her...
Your life could be at stake...
If left alone, her family
Will last for many years,
Yet ever watchful she must be,
Diminishing their fears...
It may be sunny overhead,
With gentle breezes, too...
Yet all God's creatures must be fed
And don't care what or who.
Compassion's limits she knows well,
Yet love still has its place...
If you look hard, then you can tell...
Her love shows on her face...

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Ever Watchful'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ever-watchful/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/everwatchful

The Stephen Gayford Gallery website is here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com

In November 2009, it featured a competition for this picture print.
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/competition_01.htm
See the Mother Cheetah picture there... and in detail here:
http://www.gayfordgallery.com/index_htm_files/44.jpg

Update: My poem, 'An Ode To Stephen Gayford' is featured in
the website's News Section!

http://www.gayfordgallery.com/news.htm

There's also a Guest Book!
http://users2.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g25-52612-21

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

HIDDEN OBSERVER

The lone gray wolf sat still once more,
Next to another tree...
As if to tap his frozen paw,
In time, impatiently...
The snow had stopped, the breeze was cool,
He sighed another sigh...
And there he sat, as if a fool,
For something to pass by...
An hour vanished like the sun
That clouds had blocked from sight.
Yet there was nothing to be done,
Waiting in that twilight...
Starvation haunts the carnivores
When snow sets on the ground.
The lone gray wolf can't rest indoors
When there's no food around...
Then drooping ears pricked up at last!
A rustling sound was heard...
The lone gray wolf then ran so fast
To catch the helpless bird!
The ancient battle then ensued,
The hunter and the prey...
This time, the wolf had won the feud
And food was on its way...
The ancient rules must still apply...
For Nature's Laws must serve her...
That's why, beneath the twilight sky,
He's the hidden observer...

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Hidden Observer'.
Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hidden-observer/
Shortcut: tinyurl.com/hiddenobserver

The Stephen 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

HUNTER'S MOON

Beneath the silver-speckled moon,
That floated like the clouds,
The wild wolf smiled for he would soon
Dispel all nearby crowds.
For he could howl, upon his hill,
Enough to chill your bones,
Enough to make a brave man ill
And fill his throat with groans...

This wily wolf could howl all night!
He sat still unafraid...
He grinned from ear-to-ear all right,
Then what a noise he made!
All ears for miles were tuned in now!
He sniggered, then he paused...
With one huge breath, he howled and how!
And, oh, what fear that caused!

Then three quick howls to pile it on!
Then silence, just for fun...
And just when folks had thought he'd gone,
He proved he wasn't done!
Beneath the hunter's moon above,
His body shook with glee...
He howled as they screamed, 'Lay it off!'
'You can't get rid of me!'

Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2009.

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

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Hunter's Moon'.

Shared on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hunter-s-moon/
Shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/huntersmoon

The Stephen 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