Arctic Apparition

The white wolf waited wilfully With what would pass for guile, So long it seemed eternity I looked at his profile... Yet in my quest to photograph This untamed creature there, He hardly moved along the path And seemed content to stare... Until his prey was seen or heard, He breathed in and breathed out, As if a statue, never stirred, To leave me full of doubt... But finally, he heard a sound And like a ghost he flew, As up he sprang, one single bound, The hunter through and through... My camera clicked as he streaked by, Like lightning left-to-right, An apparition leaping high And such an awesome sight... I have his pictures to this day, Still mounted on the wall... 'The white wolf hunting for his prey! ' What memories I recall... Denis Martindale, copyright, February 2012. The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Arctic Apparition'.