Elephant! Poem by Denis Martindale

When I first saw his giant form
The elephant looked down,
He touched me with his trunk so warm
While I stood with a frown...
I kept my cool and forced a smile,
Yet he knew how I felt,
To be in awe of his profile,
As if my heart could melt...

Yet he was patient with my fear,
Such fear he'd seen before,
But tenderly he made it clear,
We were at peace not war...
In silence, I had found a friend,
No words passed to and fro,
Just gentleness to comprehend,
What more was there to know?

Our partnership began that day,
A circus act was born,
With one week here, then on our way,
To greet a brand new dawn...
It's fun to give my friend a bath,
Whenever we're on tours,
But he won't sign an autograph,
That's up to me, of course!


Denis Martindale, copyright December 2015.


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