Barbary Lion Poem by Denis Martindale

The lion stared at his domain,
The land he'd been scarred for,
Beyond this, what was there to gain?
He couldn't want for more...
As long as Man was out of sight,
He thought he ruled alone,
For only then did things seem right,
For this was all he'd known...

Yet Man had plans, that land to seize,
A new town must be built,
No more the grass, no more the trees
And all God's creatures killed...
The plans stretched out for miles, of course,
No place for lions there,
With profit margins to endorse,
To bless some billionaire...

So who can turn the tragic tide?
To some, it's just a game
And once the land's been crucified,
The bankers have no shame...
So many bribes to grease the hands,
While rich folks smile with glee,
So who's to blame, if no man stands
Opposing infamy?


Denis Martindale, copyright October 2015.


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