Stealthy... Poem by Denis Martindale

How cautiously he steps along,
That lion cub's so cute,
Yet pretty soon, he'll grow up strong
And then he'll be a brute!
Today he's simply on the prowl,
All stealthy and quite slow,
Another cub to bite, then growl,
His evil eyes aglow...

Although his little game's quite new,
To him, it's glorious,
The other cub's without a clue,
While he's victorious!
So bragging rights are his this day,
I caught you! Yes, indeed!
His younger brother was his prey,
The slower to succeed...

But that cub, too, will play the game,
Revenge still on his mind,
His elder brother's tail to claim,
Some tender part to find!
So long to childlike harmony!
So long to meek and mild!
The stealthy game has proved the key
To turn those lions wild...


Denis Martindale, copyright November 2015.


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