Eagle Owl

The eagle owl perched on a tree, The branch beneath its feet, So statuesque, so solemnly, So seldomly to meet... Yet there it stayed, so much at peace, Content that I was near, Unruffled by a soothing breeze, Devoid of any fear... I eased my camera to my face, Slow motion was the way, To raise it up with gentle grace And all the time to pray... My camera clicked and clicked again, The zoom-in got it all, It was my turn to smile right then, To gain this miracle... Photographers know what I mean, To capture beauty thus, To stand one's ground, not intervene, To move yet cause no fuss... And once the pictures had been saved, That bird then flew above And all at once, I stood and waved At something new to love... Denis Martindale, copyright June 2016. A poem based on a magnificent wildlife painting by Stephen Gayford. Google-search phrases gayford prints and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.