River Crossing, Too Poem by Denis Martindale

The tiger knew the river well
And headed for its peace,
Away from heat as hot as Hell,
For mercy and release...
Where waters flowed as pure as milk
Beneath a waterfall,
As silvered bubbles soft as silk
Brought joy to one and all...

Oh, tiger, tiger, let it be,
To savour what there is,
Amid that certain ecstacy
That promises such bliss...
And let the tensions melt away
Like muscles stretched out wide,
Such that you look back on today
With tenderness inside...

While you are grandiose indeed,
The largest cat alive,
Admit that even you must need
A place you can arrive
Where birds are singing in the trees,
Beneath a sky so blue
And there's a wondrous gentle breeze,
God's Shangri-La for you...


Denis Martindale, copyright, May 2015.


Poem based on a magnificent wildlife painting,
by artist Stephen Gayford nb Google-search
gayfordgallery and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.