Wrinkles!

The elephant looked really rough! He'd had a long, long day! With wrinkles only Mums could love, That's always been the way! With weary eyes that looked half dead, With ears that weighed a ton, With pointed tusks that always led And overhead, the sun... But wrinkles really said it all, They signified his strife, As troubles drove him up the wall, Throughout his long, long life! And yet he wouldn't change a thing, Life's price he chose to take, Despite his weary wondering, Despite his sad heartbreak... He knew that he'd endured the lot! He'd lived, survived and thrived! That's why he didn't give one jot At how he'd now arrived... He'd been a son and brother, too, A father given time... Despite those wrinkles that you view, His life has been sublime! Denis Martindale, copyright, December 2013. The poem is based on the magnificent painting by Stephen Gayford called 'Wrinkles'. Find more wildlife poems using Google search for the search phrase Stephen Gayford poetry.