Another Stretch

The lion cub awoke from sleep One eyelid at a time, Wondering extra dreams to keep Or face the world sublime... With one slow breath, his legs had moved, He squinted at the sun And though he'd hoped that he'd improved, His waking wasn't fun... Though his heart was still in Dreamland, Like us, he'd things to do... With dangling legs, he tried to stand, But they were stubborn, too... He stretched his legs with all his might, His eyeballs stared ahead, To get accustomed to the light That stirred him from his bed... 'What's going on this brand new day? ' 'Who will I fight and win? ' 'Who's up right now who wants to play? ' His memories made him grin... Another stretch, another yawn, Another longdrawn sigh, Once done, they helped him face the dawn And hold his head up high... Denis Martindale, copyright, July 2013. The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Another Stretch'.