Under Kilimanjaro Poem by Denis Martindale

How earnest are the lives of those
God chose to locate there,
Such that, of course, one would suppose,
The cold was hard to bear...
Yet lives are lived and lives are lost,
By both the great and small,
Such that each learns the measured cost
Of God's great miracle...

The mountain merely spans the land,
Without a single thought
And yet, nearby, each hunter's planned
For prey that must be caught...
Life holds for such no guarantee,
No warranty to save,
It's do or die, that's plain to see,
Stay cowardly or brave...

A thousand years can come and go,
Some creatures may remain,
The rest extinct, no more to know,
No second chance to gain...
Yet if Man cares and really tries,
Some species may live on,
If not, who knows each one that dies?
How long till each has gone?


Denis Martindale August 2016.


A poem based on the magnificent wildlife paintings
by Stephen Gayford. Google-search phrases
gayford prints and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.