African Beauty! Poem by Denis Martindale

What beauty radiates from her,
That cheetah, eyes aglow,
With dainty, dappled spots on fur,
Like footprints, toe-by-toe...
Steadfast, alert, with regal stare,
Her senses all combined,
So that she's primed and so aware
And utterly refined...

And yet there's more besides than these
That set her quite apart,
Beyond the charms that quickly please
All creatures young at heart...
Consider how she twists and turns
When hunting for her prey,
Increasing skills she's learnt and learns
With every passing day...

What beauty, too, when cubs are raised,
As mother to them all,
Her gently ways so highly praised,
Her wisdom to install...
That cheetah's not just any cat,
She's debonair and sleek,
In fact, she's so much more than that,
She's truly quite unique!

Denis Martindale, copyright, January 2014.

The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'African Beauty'.