Always Awake

Three meerkats perched on yonder rock, Their transfixed eyes steadfast, Their predators, of course, to block, No chance that they'd get past... Alert, on guard, thoughts kept in check, Three meerkats stood their ground, Perchance to see a distant speck Or hear a far-off sound... No uniform could represent The valour in plain sight, For family and sentiment, Right there in broad daylight... Defiant to the uttermost, Resilient through and through, As if some great eternal boast, 'We'll stay on guard for you! ' Three meerkats, simple souls, no more, Yet bold as brass each day, That's something we'd best not ignore - Courageous, come what may! Stand tall, like meerkats throughout time, Like heroes, know your place! That way, you'll always be sublime... No matter what you face! Denis Martindale, copyright, May 2012. The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Always Awake'.