Giraffe Calf Poem by Denis Martindale

I remember a small giraffe
So trying hard to stand,
A fragile thing, merely a calf,
And hardly something grand.
Yet every day I watched it grow,
A little higher still,
A little higher yet to go,
According to God's will.

So inch by inch the calf grew tall,
Much higher than I was,
For next to it, I sure looked small,
And yet I wasn't cross.
For it had beauty all its own,
Serenity as well,
And grace in each new step was shown,
As all my photos tell.

It seemed to glide with each new pace,
Contented all the time,
Tranquillity set on its face,
Quite gentle and sublime.
Through every sunny day it went,
Yet taller than before,
And all my photos represent,
What God had still in store.


Denis Martindale, the 14th of March 2023.


The poem is about the magnificent painting by
UK wildlife artist Stephen Gayford, of a young
giraffe that would grow even taller in time...