Rainforest Phantoms
The leopards listen to each noise
Of their surrounding sounds...
On steadfast feet they gently poise,
Resisting fearful bounds.
Perhaps it isn't time to run,
Like cowards fearing pain,
Or just like girls who love the sun,
Yet flee from falling rain...
The leopards like the spot they've seen,
It suits them to a tee...
They'll stay till others intervene,
Like phantoms on their tree...
The forest has its moody times,
Its fierce and frantic days,
Its pleasant passing sunny climes
And melting dew-dropped phase...
The sun shines through the trees above,
The clouds go gliding by...
And soon the moon will shine with love,
To grace the midnight sky...
The leopards lack for nothing now,
True friends in harmony...
Receiving what the Fates allow,
Like phantoms, fancy free...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Rainforest Phantoms'.
Consider the UK Sky Digital Rainforest Rescue
charity appeal found on the UK sky-dot-com as
this explains how losing the rain forests destroys
the lives of those humans, animals and plants
in the name of progress for some, but not for all.
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Mountain Splendour
Snow leopards look at snow all day!
It's here, there, everywhere!
It hardly ever goes away!
It's white beyond compare!
It's dazzling white, it's total white,
It really, really is!
It's safe to say that it's too bright!
It's not something they'd miss...
Snow leopards sit the whole day long
On snow, snow, snow, snow, snow...
It's sometimes nice, don't get me wrong,
But doesn't that stuff glow! ?
It's freezing cold, no good at all...
And bores them all to tears...
They hate it when new snowflakes fall
And tickle both their ears!
Snow leopards wait for food to eat...
They wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...
They take things slow, they tap their feet...
And think life's just great!
They can't hum tunes like humans do...
Remembering each rhyme...
They just sit down, enjoy the view...
And... while... away... the... time...
Denis Martindale, copyright, November 2010.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Mountain Splendour II'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
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Mean And Moody
As leopards go, he's looking good,
But smiling's not his scene...
He thinks he owns the neighbourhood.
We mustn't intervene...
Mean and moody! Quite unfriendly!
In fact, he looks aloof...
He's staring quite intently,
As if with some reproof...
Well, good job, then, he's on his own,
Or he'd put up a fight!
I think we'll leave this guy alone!
Good afternoon! Goodnight!
Yes, goodbye, then, you sour puss,
So glad to see us go...
We weren't a threat so serious
As you would have us know!
We would have shared our sausage rolls,
Our bacon and our ham...
Instead, we'll leave you to your strolls...
And take the hint... and scram...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Mean And Moody'.
The Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Snow Child
The snow leopard mother and cub
Were resting for a while...
In their exclusive private club,
Yet neither raised a smile...
God turned the heat so low again,
That Winter sadness grew...
The Spring would come, yet, when, when, when! ?
But neither of them knew...
What leopard counts the passing days,
The suns and moons above?
What leopard's privy to God's ways
Or prays to Him with love?
The humans pray, for they've found faith...
They count the days and weeks...
They've learnt endurance to be brave
To wait until God speaks.
For only then, will Spring arrive,
To melt the snows and ice,
So that the leopards who survive
Will think it Paradise!
At last, they'll see their sorrows melt,
As if they were a dream...
At last, they'll make their presence felt
And form a hunting team...
Their Winter bonds will grant them strength,
Uniting them as one...
The cub will grow another length
To blossom in the sun...
Each creature has its own domain...
Each leopard has its spot...
It needs no lecture to explain,
This life is all it's got...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Snow Child'.
The Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Snow Leopard
The snow leopard stared intently,
At all things near and far...
While at times, he looked quite friendly,
You know how wild cats are.
A tiny cat can mew meow
And people say, how cute!
Yet time goes on, then fates allow
That cat to be a brute!
The snow leopard stood serenely,
His paws poised on the pulse...
With his eyes surveying keenly,
As in all leopards' skulls...
While his heart was beating slowly...
His mind was thinking fast.
Though his hunting skills weren't holy,
He didn't look downcast.
Survival favours those that eat
A hearty meal each day,
Enduring both the cold and heat,
Outwitting all their prey.
That's why the leopard had to learn
That patience is the key...
And why, he, too, must wait his turn,
For breakfast, lunch and tea...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Snow Leopard'.
The Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Mountain Myth
Snow leopards once were thought as myths, ghostly apparitions,
Upon the mountains and on cliffs, mostly superstitions.
Then photographs so quickly proved what first was hard to see -
The way they laid, the way they moved, no more a mystery.
Yet when I look, there's still a part that takes my breath away,
A majesty that strikes my heart, no matter, come what may.
For beauty still affects my soul, my spirit and my mind,
Such that it swiftly takes control, as if a spell to bind.
Cat lovers know their soft embrace, that purring noise they make.
No other creature takes their place, of that, there's no mistake.
Imagine, then, if leopards, too, befriended Man as well,
With purring noise said, 'I love you! ' What tales we each could tell.
When Adam walked upon the Earth, with Eve right by his side,
The animals all knew their worth, each owned a sense of pride,
Each walked in peace, it all made sense, till sin and then the Fall.
Alas, we all know violence... its bitter taste is gall.
Snow leopards raise their families and do the best they can.
All creatures long to live in peace, yet none strives more than Man.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
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Leopards at Knole
Leopards on the gable-ends,
Leopards on the painted stair,
Stiff the blazoned shield they bear,
Or and gules, a bend of vair,
Leopards on the gable-ends,
Leopards everywhere.
Guard and vigil in the night
While the ancient house is sleeping
They three hundred years are keeping,
Nightly from their stations leaping,
Shadows black in moonlight bright,
Roof to gable creeping.
Rigid when the day returns,
Up aloft in sun or rain
Leopards at their posts again
Watch the shifting pageant's train;
And their jewelled colour burns
In the window-pane.
Often on the painted stair,
As I passed abstractedly,
Velvet footsteps, two and three,
Padded gravely after me.
- There was nothing, nothing there,
Nothing there to see.
poem by Victoria Sackville-West
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Proud Mother
Within this world of wondrous things,
Snow leopards learn to live...
From gentle cubs, as underlings,
To parents, life to give.
To each his own, that's how it goes,
The male and female breed,
Such that new life within her grows,
Until they, too, are freed...
Then all at once those cubs must learn
What life is all about,
And thus, in time, respect to earn,
No longer rules to flout...
They choose to serve within a team,
Survival to ensure,
No matter if through acts extreme
That shake us to the core...
Their mother is their constant guide
And yet their closest friend.
That's why she looks on them with pride
Until the bitter end...
For she's known love and she's known death
And yearns to stay alive...
Until she breathes her final breath,
She'll help them to survive...
Denis Martindale, copyright, January 2011.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Proud Mother'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
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Adoration
When two white tigers felt such peace
In their own company,
Tranquillity had brought them ease,
So pleasing now to see...
No fighting here, no growls, no scowls,
No sneers that chill the heart,
No argument that quickly fouls,
No hate to keep apart...
For now, as true friends, side-by-side,
There's harmony and more,
Serenity and smiles so wide
That each one knows the score...
A gentleness has come to stay,
Refreshing and sublime,
They seem almost to be at play,
Like children lost in time...
When humans learn to live as one,
Their hearts entwined with love,
What wondrous things will then be done,
As God's grace proves enough...
If two white tigers can enlist
True love beyond compare,
Such adoration must exist
For folks like us to share...
Denis Martindale, copyright, August 2012.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Adoration II'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
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Mountain Sentinel
Upon a cold and humdrum day,
Snow leopards sit alone,
As if to pause, to rest, to stay
Upon their mountain throne...
And so this creature let life pass
Upon his craggy rock,
Where cold snow covered blades of grass,
Their present growth to block...
Time passed so slowly like a dream
As if no place to go,
Mid temperatures now quite extreme
As it began to snow...
The creature sighed and tapped his paw
And flicked his tail again,
But it kept snowing more and more
As he sat there and then...
It was his lot in life, you see,
His portion if you will...
Lord of the mountain, let's agree!
Oh, my, ain't that a thrill?
I'd rather stay as warm as toast,
Cold mountain sentinel...
I'd rather stay at home than boast,
'Behold, I'm Lord of all! '
Denis Martindale, copyright, July 2012.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Mountain Sentinel'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Leopard Sunset
The leopard lingered in the sun
Almost at close of day,
With all its hours almost done
And fast to ebb away...
The leopard let his memories
Remind him now and then,
Because he knew each day must cease
When moonlight shone again.
This day had seen new life, new death,
That's how time passes by...
We understand while we draw breath
Until our final sigh...
The leopard knew his time was near,
Just like the sun above,
Yet leopards are not prone to fear,
That's why they still share love...
His cubs were waiting down below,
As he watched like a king...
To see time like a river flow
To outlive everything...
Some day his cubs would watch in turn,
As their cubs played a while...
With each new day something to learn...
Some joy to raise a smile...
(July 2011/The poem is based on the
magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford
called 'Leopard Sunset'.)
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sisters
The lionesses rested there,
Two sisters side-by-side...
Both breathing gently, without care,
Yet their eyes open wide...
The day was long, the air was still,
The sun was warm not hot
And clouds sailed by the distant hill,
While they stayed in their spot...
To some, these were of royal birth,
Princesses and revered.
To others, they possessed no worth
And nothing to be cheered...
Yet for each other, there was love,
Affection day-by-day...
A tenderness that proved enough,
No matter, come what may...
As tiny cubs, they'd fooled around,
Rejoicing playfully...
Receiving every sight and sound,
With thanks they'd been born free...
For them, the training ground must wait
Until another time...
The time was now, their adult state,
When they were in their prime...
Each day, their hunting skills combined
To grant them new success
And having dined, they now reclined,
Both comfy, more or less...
They lived their lives, as lions must,
In order to survive...
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...
Or hunt to stay alive...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Sisters'.
The Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Intense
His hunger was simply intense!
This comes to leopards, too...
And till that empty gnawing ends,
He'll hunt the whole day through...
Only the starving understand
The desperate days he's known,
When cruel Fate withholds her hand,
As her heart turns to stone...
Each step, each stride, each newborn chase,
They sap his strength, of course,
Though once he had a noble face
And was a tour de force!
He now looks feeble, not on form,
A shadow of himself...
No longer feeling quite the norm,
He must rely on stealth.
He lies in wait, for prey to come,
With hardly strength to cope,
With breathing slow, now playing dumb
And nothing left but hope...
Suffice to say, Fate sends a meal...
His torment meets an end...
Enough to let his body to heal
And he's soon on the mend...
Denis Martindale, copyright, July 2010.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Intense'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot.com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sunset (Second Version)
The cheetah rested, there to stay,
So statuesque and still...
Just gently taking in the day...
To mellow and to chill.
Life isn't always running round,
All frantic, to and fro...
Sometimes it's settling on the ground
Or simply walking slow.
Sunset would soon be here once more...
The daylight dimmed to black.
The moonlight shining to restore
The golden glow we lack...
The cheetah watched the changing pace
The cooling breeze must bring,
Before each midnight from deep space
God's stars start sparkle-ing...
Staring skyward, the cheetah knew
The future that must be...
It doesn't matter what we do,
Each sunset sets us free...
Yes, some will sleep while others wake,
Yet each lives for a time...
Till something comes our lives to take...
Yet life goes on sublime...
Our children face the future fields
And they will question why
Another crop each grows and yields
And never seems to die...
Yet those that swim, fly, walk and run
All perish soon enough,
As if one task must yet be done -
To fall in love with love...
The cheetah rested patiently...
Appointments he had none...
He only felt tranquillity
Beneath the gentle sun...
The version of the poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Sunset'.
Gayford poems on denis-martindale(dot) blogspot(dot) com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sunset
The cheetah rested, there to stay,
So statuesque and still...
Just gently taking in the day...
To mellow and to chill.
Life isn't always running round,
All frantic, to and fro...
Sometimes it's settling on the ground
Or simply walking slow.
Sunset would soon be here once more...
The daylight dimmed to black.
The moonlight shining to restore
The golden glow we lack...
The cheetah watched the changing pace
The cooling breeze must bring,
Before each midnight from deep space
God's stars start sparkle-ing...
Staring skyward, the cheetah knew
The future that must be...
It doesn't matter what we do,
Each sunset sets us free...
Yes, some will sleep while others wake,
Yet each lives for a time...
Till something comes our lives to take...
Yet life goes on sublime...
Our children face the future fields
And they will question why
Another crop each grows and yields
And never seems to die...
The cheetah rested patiently...
Appointments he had none...
He only felt tranquillity
Beneath the gentle sun...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Sunset'.
Gayford poems on denis-martindale(dot) blogspot(dot) com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Back To Back
Back to back, there stood two meerkats,
Just staring into space,
As if they looked like scruffy brats
Who had no poise or grace...
Yet each meerkat found affection
And mutual respect,
To gaze off in each direction
With peace you can't neglect.
As they leaned against each other,
Just taking in the day,
Were these two father and mother
To little ones at play?
Perhaps they stood there tired out,
Without the strength to move...
Plum-tuckered out to run about
And now stuck in a groove...
Suffice to say, they made me smile...
Life's no long drawn out thrill.
Sometimes you need to rest a while
And just take time to chill...
It's nice to let the world go by,
Watch fluffy clouds sail past...
You'll never hear a meerkat sigh
Who's found true love at last...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Back To Back'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Enigmatic
The leopard lingered all alone,
At rest for all to see.
With curled-up tail, in mid-air zone,
That stayed there playfully.
Sometimes a leopard finds a spot
Where all seems quite serene...
A wistful part he likes a lot,
To melt into that scene...
Thus time itself slowed down as well,
Life settled to a pause...
In fact, there was no way to tell,
Except the sun, of course.
You see, the sun is prone to move
Across the pale blue sky...
As if it had something to prove,
Yet leopards know not why...
This leopard knew that sleep was near,
He felt it in his bones.
He sensed the sun would disappear,
Replaced by darkened tones.
Then shadows bring old dangers back
And predators that pounce...
When hunters prowl in midnight black,
Survival's all that counts.
For now, the sunshine was his friend...
If he stayed here, static...
That's why his mood was confident,
Cool and enigmatic...
Sunbathers know the peaceful glow
The sun was meant to share.
Why not let go? Just take things slow...
Forsaking every care...
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Enigmatic'.
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Doting Parent
The Mother penguin gazed upon
The gift God gave to her
And there they stayed as God's light shone
On all that could occur...
Togetherness now warmed their hearts,
Just like the sun above,
Because that's how all friendship starts...
It's purely based on love...
That's why they stared without a word
Into each other's eyes,
As if God's truth inside them stirred
So that they'd realise...
That love was all we need to give,
Beyond it nothing more,
For it endures the life we live,
So steadfast and so sure...
The winds may blow, the snow may fall,
The storms may rage all day,
Yet when true love makes its first call,
You know it longs to stay...
That's why the little one we see
Will one day share love, too,
With its own child that's yet to be,
Both thinking, 'I love you! '
Denis Martindale, copyright, January 2012.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Doting Parent'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Forest Haven
The tiger saw me near his home,
His Shangri-La and more...
To him, as sweet as honeycomb,
A place to rest each paw...
'Yes, come on in and join me here,
Without a moment's doubt,
Without a single trace of fear,
For that's what love's about...'
'Just you and I, with no regard
Of past mistakes we've known...
The two of us should now discard
All thoughts to live alone...
No need to fret or fight or flee,
No need to laugh out loud...
Just settle down right next to me...
My soft fur's like a cloud...'
'Don't wear a frown! Don't hesitate...
What have you got to lose?
The sun's so hot... It's getting late...
Let's share this evening's views.
There's no-one else to intervene
To steal this time of bliss...
My forest haven's so serene...
It really, really is...'
(August 2011/The poem is based on the
magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford
called 'Forest Haven'.)
poem by Denis Martindale
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sunny
Sunny,
Yesterday my life was filled with rain.
Sunny,
You smiled at me and really eased the pain.
The dark days are gone,
And the bright days are here,
My Sunny one shines so sincere.
Sunny one so true,
I love you.
Sunny,
Thank you for the sunshine bouquet.
Sunny,
Thank you for the love you brought my way.
You gave to me your all and all.
Now I feel ten feet tall.
Sunny one so true,
I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the truth you let me see.
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to C.
My life was torn like a windblown sand,
And the rock was formed when you held my hand.
Sunny one so true,
I love you.
Sunny
Sunny,
Thank you for the smile upon your face.
Sunny,
Thank you for the gleam that shows its grace.
You're my spark of nature's fire,
You're my sweet complete desire.
Sunny one so true,
I love you.
Sunny,
Yesterday my life was filled with rain.
Sunny,
You smiled at me and really eased the pain.
The dark days are gone,
And the bright days are here,
My Sunny one shines so sincere.
Sunny one so true,
I love you.
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you
song performed by by Stevie Wonder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sunny
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
The dark days are gone, and the bright days are here,
My sunny one shines so sincere.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet.
Sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way.
You gave to me your all and all.
Now I feel ten feet tall.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the truth you let me see.
Sunny, thank you for the facts from a to c.
My life was torn like a windblown sand,
And the rock was formed when you held my hand.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face.
Sunny, thank you for the gleam that shows its grace.
Youre my spark of natures fire,
Youre my sweet complete desire.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
The dark days are gone, and the bright days are here,
My sunny one shines so sincere.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
song performed by by Boney M.
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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