Late Patrol

The lion left his sweet repose As evening brought the moon, His late patrol was now quite close And he must start it soon... So up he stood and strolled about, No airs or graces yet, But he must end the others' doubt, So that they would not fret... Some lions change their moods quite fast And so he posed a while, So predators would look aghast At such a great profile... Enough to make them pause at least, Discretion uppermost, For who would face that awesome beast, Surviving then to boast? The lion made his way once more, Each step with royal might, So those that watched could not ignore This king who dared to fight... No laid-back royal to defeat, No weakling prone to fail, This king would be so hard to beat, He was the alpha male... Denis Martindale, copyright, February 2014. The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford, nb Google search gayfordgallery. Find more wildlife poems using Google search for the search phrase Stephen Gayford poetry.