It only took one look...

Leopard

Of all the big five

you are the most fearsome,

the most beautiful.

Your dark rosettes, distinctive,

rippling as you pace.

Glossy fur shining,

smoothly inviting,

tempting me to touch.

Your felinity is obvious

as you slink, purring,

along the fence,

back and forth,

back and forth.

I yearn to touch, to stroke...

“Nice Kitty!”

As if you read my mind

you turn your face with purpose,

fix me in a lethal stare.

Your amber eyes bore into mine,

lock me into uneasiness.

I fidget and squirm,

give a nervous giggle.

I look away first.

You raise your lip slightly,

display gargantuan fangs

and breathe a hiss.

“Good God!” I gasp,

“Did you see the size of those!”

You pause as I speak,

drop into a hint of a crouch

and freeze, for effect.

It is effective!

Then you dismiss me.

A contemptuous flick of your tail

puts me in my place

as you continue to pace.

Under no illusion, I know,

(and you know),

but for that cage…

Inspiration

This poem was inspired by a visit to a leopard enclosure. I stood admiring the sheer beauty of the animal until it suddenly turned its attention towards me. In that instant, I understood why leopards are so deeply respected and feared. It was a lesson delivered without a single movement beyond a stare.

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AI Declaration

AI was used solely to create the accompanying artwork.

No AI was used in the writing of this poem.

Leopard is a contemporary wildlife poem by Catherine Knee exploring the beauty, power and instinct of one of Africa's most formidable predators through a real life encounter.

Leopard

Silence Walks

Catherine Knee