Like the leopard
which not a spot can change
or zebra their stripes a-one
a mother's love
for her tiger cub
in winter snow
or summer sun
may never be undone
but when out tiger hunting
in all kinds of weather
far from the calm of an ashram
for bait a goat is often tethered
its fate... a sacrificial lamb
As the leopard
can't change its spots
the zebra of which
there are species three
(Burchell's, Mountain and Grévy's)
its stripes also cannot
black-and-white
supposedly
but white on black
front-to-back
in reality
it's cryptic colouration
a synonym
for animal camouflage
for which an entourage
of biologists resound
with unproven hypotheses
(e.g., keeping flies off in summer)
and specious theories abound
when i was a girl
my mum smoked cigarettes
in her leopard print dressing gown
and boot slippers
she would come in from the patio, or the kitchen, or the garden
and up the stairs to tuck me into bed
stroke her hand across my head
chestnut curls from out of my face
the smell of the nicotine on her fingers
lingered in the air
attaching itself to the memory,
to the place
now i am a woman
and i smoke cigarettes
in my leopard print dressing gown
and my boot slippers
and when i come in from the patio, or the kitchen, or the garden
and up the stairs to tuck myself into bed
i stroke my hand across my head
maroon curls from out of my face
and as the smell of the nicotine lingers in the air
i remember when i was a girl
when my mum still smoked cigarettes
and wore her leopard print dressing gown
still wore her boot slippers
still tucked me into bed
Fiery amber eyes gaze out
From a face of white speckled fur
Into the icy blinding swirling snow
Of a high hidden Himalayan hamlet
To meet in mortal combat
The closed minds
of poaching Pakistani peasants
Carrying pitchforks
In a parody or normality
A battle to confirm
That not all ideas matter
That Nature’s laws triumph
That not everyone
Understands eternal complexity
Standing firm on its precipice
In a show of rare boldness
It gives a performance
Of unheard-of courage
In the face of the enemy
Spirit guardian of a higher world
It takes a stand
Against the madness that is man
"Animal revere and respect holiness; they do not teach sin."
St. Neilos the Asectic, in the Asectic Dialogues
The moon but in the leopard design.
The leopard in the moon design.
He is sleeping.
And I have taken time
To watch and enjoy him;
He is wearing a white undershirt,
That shows his white arms
And smooth skin;
The line of his muscles,
Play with the light.
And I can not but fix my eyes
On his strength coming out
And evaporating in the room;
A handsome flexible animal.
Designed to be fast and effective;
A beautiful leopard.
Fleeing over the green heaven;
This is he,
With his long and large muscles
On his legs
And arms;
With his strong and flexible spine;
He is my lover,
Companion, exotic animal.
Inspired by no one but his own strength and exuberance;
Leopard narrowed his yellow eyes for the night
His body is stretched across upper branch tight
He snores easily, but is awakened by a small boor
This small tasty mammal rustled across the jungle floor
The Two Little Cubs: A Quest for identity.
(A Cautionary Tale)
Two little leopard cubs
One shy, one bold,
went out to play
in the wild wide world.
Bold so bright -
Life a big adventure.
Shy so quiet-
Life a no go venture.
Played games together-
Shy learnt from Bold,
Rough and tumble
Not always gentle.
Which one do you think escapes
the focus of real danger?
Hidden out of sight...
Aqua Marine Musing again...
31 March, 2025.
True story captured by a wildlife photographer.
Lions are the fiercest of enemies for leopards. They attack and kill leopards without hesitation. The more adventurous cub, not yet
fully experienced in life was killed by lions. The "shy" cub escaped... To live another day.
Reminds me of Proverbs 22:3
"The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself.
But the I experienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences..."
I need a fix and it is so strange
This addiction to poetry is a stain
Like a birthmark on my rainbow brain
Can't shake it off for it is engrained
I hear white word and it leopard leaps
Into violet verse singing screaming
It is my teal torture it is my purple peace
Poetry as affliction is a big part of me
leopard butterfly
the brush-footed butterfly
sun-loving light touch
soft, yet ...
like a breath of Noshaq
you are gone in a whisper
bound for some dreamy realm (imagining)
where exquisiteness affords you
a throne in Valhalla …
you dance among the frosted peaks
like Misha with the Mouse King
prancing on a puff of wint'ry wind
yearning for the bloom
of early Spring
the nuzzle of a warm nose
or the easy gift
of a frozen lake of swans
hush, you ...
about your business
secret stories you tell to the mountain
of visceral attentions, keen
wondrous things that we lesser creatures
will never be privy to -
things that you find your common bidding
but that fools like me -
wholly taken with sublime form
and ghostly airs -
find spellbinding ... breathless
enchanting ...
you are a feral phantom
demon AND deity of a covert kingdom
I am cursed to only conjecture on
or put to inadequate word ...
a magical dominion of
deliberate and brutal elegance
that has graced me with but a glimpse
a rare, tender, precious instant
blessed by the substance of a moment
far too beautiful to ever
capture.
I knew a leopard with a lithp,
A religiouth thort of beatht,
He thaid hith inclinationth,
Came from eating a prietht.
Its the slight waft of rotting flesh
That first hits you
While the smartly dressed
Smiling warden ushers you in,
Through narrow turnstiles
There are rows of enclosures
A maze of them, a maze of the wild
Its like a snapshot of danger
A dangerous predator-laden savanna
Danger enclosed
Lions...
You will hear their shouting matches
Royal majestic roars
Like cage competitions
Even the females join in
While one stares you down
Sizing you up
Like a piece of flesh
(Well come to think of it...)
Some males lie down
Nonchalant
Amidst the noise
The leopard paces in its enclosure
Waiting for its daily ration
While the young buffalo
Grazes nervously,
Its enclosure next to the lions
They have emergency exits
Just in case...
You will spot a Serval cat
A croc, bored
And nervous rare Sokoke cats
Terribly out of place...
How can you sleep here? Asks an artist from the north.
Leopard is used to the vivid colors of the rainforest.
He can sleep anywhere, but especially here.
It is his home, his hunting ground, his safe place.
The stranger keeps talking, annoying leopard.
He may have to snack before lunch.
Sir Daddy Leopard had income tax woes, issues that stomped his toes.
He put on his suit, and went to work, saying “this blows!”
His children had asked him for money time and again.
Giving you money for free would be a loss, not a win.
“You need to give them fifteen thou apiece,” said his accountant man.
He thought it would spoil them, especially his lazy daughter Fran.
The IRS is going to get more than your share unless you do,
So Sir Daddy Leopard decided to give money and tried not to be blue.
Fran was thrilled and kept kissing and hugging her dad.
This is more money than I’ve ever had!
He felt much better after that, bragging about what he had done.
The other two children blew theirs on silliness but had lots of fun.
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