Silent Witness Poem by Denis Martindale

The leopard lounged, content to be
A silent witness there,
While way up high upon the tree
To look, to gaze, to stare...
To contemplate, to muse a while,
Beyond the worldly scene,
To be amazed or gently smile,
Yet always stay serene...

As life goes on with its parade,
Let others hunt their prey,
Let others hide when finding shade,
To watch the young ones play...
The leopard lay upon his shelf,
Legs dangling now and then,
Not lonesome being by himself,
Until that time again...

When night approached and stars returned,
He stared upon them, too...
And wondered, were these eyes that learned
From yonder point of view?
Or were they merely like the moon,
Just scattered to and fro?
And while such answers don't come soon,
His heart still yearned to know...


Denis Martindale, copyright, August 2013.


The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Silent Witness'.