King Of Kings, Too Poem by Denis Martindale

Behold the lion in his prime, serene and full of grace,
No challengers to waste his time, or face him face-to-face,
Or linger posing as a threat, or posing mockingly,
Giving as good as they would get against his majesty.
Each stood in awe, as cowards do, confronted by this beast,
Always to keep him in their view while keeping him appeased.
For he stood tall once he arose, then stared at one and all,
As if those lions were his foes, regardless, great or small.

The days are sometimes slow to pass when challenges are few,
Just lying still upon the grass, with not much else to do,
Facing a challenge, he lets loose with all that he has got,
With every scratch and bite and bruise, he hurts and hurts a lot.
The others glare at what they've seen, while he looks good as gold,
When he stands still and quite serene, their hot blood then runs cold,
Such are the laws that Nature sets, strong fighters take control,
Regardless of how cruel it gets, survival stays the goal.

He sets the pace, the ebb, the flow, his kingdom still to gain,
He knows his place and keeps it so, defending his domain,
For if defeated, he would be the saddest of his kind,
A sorry sight for all to see, with scars left to remind.
The years, of course, will slow him down, like those that lost before,
And one day he will lose his crown, his royal blood will pour,
But not today, and not real soon, but someday without doubt,
Then he must face his last high noon when Nature casts him out.


Denis Martindale. January 2022.


The poem is about the magnificent
wildlife painting King Of Kings by
UK wildlife artist Stephen Gayford.