Going In

The tiger's tail was piping hot All the live-long day... And that one tail was all he'd got To swipe the flies away! Its twists and turns were quite enough To signal it was time To find that place when things got tough... The stream was so sublime... So off he went in search of peace, His own sweet Shangri-La... Where all his tensions found release As if it were a spa... When going in, the soft mud feels So squelchy there below... Yet somehow that sensation heals, As mud slips to and fro... Now halfway in, with all legs wet, He stands still there and then... He loses every frown and fret And he's refreshed again. The final part to be revived Must be his twisting tail And just as soon as it's arrived, It quivers without fail... He's well and truly in it now! He's cooling down a treat... Yes, Mother Nature, take a bow! This river's hard to beat! The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Going In'. More poems here: denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com