The Game

The Game

She steadies her gaze in keen-eyed focus

Belying the act with her languishing body

The long grass tickles her whiskers

Her ears flicker from the incessant insects

The noonday sun beats down without mercy

She keeps to her post with studied patience

Her cubs gambol in and around her feet

Oblivious to her plans for a late dinner

The shadows of the tall grass

Camouflage the leopard’s coat

and obscure her sleek, lean lines

and belie the strength of her muscular frame

A sharp and sudden change in her demeanour

Reveals a neck elongated in sharp expectancy

And eyes that narrow in complete concentration

She steadies herself for the rush of adrenaline

The straggler tantalises with its lazy totter

Unaware of the approaching danger

The gap widens between the herd and the ambler

The feline’s ferocious sprint barely raises a hair’s breath of wind

The victim’s pain is but brief when the leopard sinks

It’s vice-like but deadly grip over its throat.

The futile struggle is over in seconds

Mother and cubs will feast tonight

The circle of life continues on!

(C) Wendy Robinson

All Rights Reserved

You see, when we die, our bodies become the grass,

and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all

connected in the great Circle of Life.

~ Mufasa (The Lion King)

Disclaimer: My thanks go to the photographers from Free images, Pinterest, Unsplash and Pixabay for the above images. They are magnificent.