Contentment Poem by Denis Martindale

The lioness paused and sighed and stayed,
Her hothead cubs in tow,
For now, they stopped, the cubs obeyed
And they were lying low.
The sun still laboured in the sky,
The day went gently on...
They stared and watched the circle fly
So calmly as it shone.
How could they know its flames of fire?
Its furies far away?
Its spurting streams ascending higher?
Its passions night and day?
To them, the sun was like an eye
That witnessed good and bad...
And punished them and made them fry
And thirst till they went mad...
Yet mercy fell from Heaven, too...
Like raindrops and like tears...
And new days came with morning dew...
That melted all their fears...
And so, by faith, contentment flowed
As long as rivers lived...
To such as these their lives were owed
And life is no small gift...
The waters helped the trees stand tall,
Reach out and offer shade...
The lioness observed it all...
The way such things were made...
Yet only we can give God praise
For all that He has done...
Contentment comes... Contentment stays...
When wisdom's work is done...


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