Keeping Watch

The zebras stood there in a line And almost side-by-side. Their eyes were staring for a sign That could serve as a guide. If dangers lurked, then eyes and ears Would warn them when to run... Their instincts helped them through the years, Yet they must fight the sun... For up above, it blasted down With heat beyond belief... To melt the blue, the green and brown And linger like a thief... Just one mistake and some would die And so they stood and chewed... And watched each hour pass them by, In their long solemn mood... No false alarms had happened yet And so they stood their ground... United in each other's debt For anything they found... A sudden stirring chilled their blood! In seconds, they had gone! Like cavalry, their hooves would thud, As lions stood alone... This battle won, the zebras lived To see another day... With vigilence their greatest gift, They chewed and chewed away... The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Keeping Watch'. More Stephen Gayford poems here: denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com