Snow Spirit

The snow leopard crouched on the ground, As silent as the grave... And there he paused without a sound, Another meal to crave... His empty belly told him straight, This was the perfect time, Be vigilant, endure the wait... No higher must you climb. Beyond him was a subtle stone, A boulder nothing more... Yet shaped as though now not alone, His camouflage felt sure. The trap was set... his eyes alert, His ears tuned in for clues... His legs like springs to sprint and spurt And chase away the blues. An hour passed without a word, No rustling on the breeze... No song tune from a flying bird, No buzzing from the bees. Then all at once, quite sudden like, A broken twig went crack! He moved as if a lightning strike, His brand new prey to track! With leaps and bounds and sudden swerves, The leopard lunged and pounced! Yes, patience is a skill that serves When hunger is announced. Without new prey, the leopard dies... The big cat feeds once more... To some, this truth is never nice, Yet such is Nature's Law... The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Snow Spirit'. The Stephen Gayford poems can be viewed here: denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com