Under Kilimanjaro

How earnest are the lives of those God chose to locate there, Such that, of course, one would suppose, The cold was hard to bear... Yet lives are lived and lives are lost, By both the great and small, Such that each learns the measured cost Of God's great miracle... The mountain merely spans the land, Without a single thought And yet, nearby, each hunter's planned For prey that must be caught... Life holds for such no guarantee, No warranty to save, It's do or die, that's plain to see, Stay cowardly or brave... A thousand years can come and go, Some creatures may remain, The rest extinct, no more to know, No second chance to gain... Yet if Man cares and really tries, Some species may live on, If not, who knows each one that dies? How long till each has gone? Denis Martindale August 2016. A poem based on the magnificent wildlife paintings by Stephen Gayford. Google-search phrases gayford prints and 'Stephen Gayford poetry'.