Himalayan Winter

Snow leopards braved the Winter chill As lonesome as could be, Somewhere upon a snow-capped hill They stayed there, one, two three... The adult and two cubs at rest, No predator around, Except that cold made them distressed As they laid on the ground... The cubs looked weary and forlorn, Yet neither cuddled close, Despite the fact that it was dawn And night sought its repose... They merely blinked away the time, Till food for them appeared, No appetite to roam or climb, As everything felt weird... No doubt, if children, they would moan And moan and moan all day, But they felt numbed and cold as stone Till Springtime came their way... One wonders why God made the cold, Was this Creation's curse? Yet mercy comes as good as gold When temperatures reverse... Denis Martindale, copyright August 2015. Poem based on a magnificent wildlife painting, by artist Stephen Gayford nb Google-search gayfordgallery and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.