He lies quietly under a bare tree
The only shade for miles around
In the distance he spies a stream
Surrounded by a herd of zebras
He slowly rises out of the comfort of the shade
Shaking his large golden mane free of flies
He moves slowly forward to his prey
And the stream that lies beyond
His larger soft paws make no sounds
On the dry cracked mud
The temptation of the zebras overcomes him
And despite his noise he begins to run
Soon the zebras spot him
They know they can’t outrun him
They try in vain and hope
Hoping that today is not their last
As soon as he sees them turn their heads
He know she has lost the element of surprise
He must rely only on his legs
If he wants to return home with a meal
He runs fast yet softly
His long legs covering ground fast
Suddenly he realises the zebras aren’t running from him
And in the split second of confusion he loses his chance of food
As he turns and see one of the zebras
Fall prey to the enemy, cheetah
He roars
And realises that one day soon will be his last
