“Paint the Dog”
Here is a poem I wrote a long time ago, envisaging a series based on the art of Charlotte Williams Davies. It came to mind as I saw it was Painted Dog Day 26 August. This artwork was shared by Charlotte in progress, hence the title - even if she is not a painter per se. You can see, or buy, the completed Painted Dogs ‘We’re All Ears’ at her website https://www.charlotte-williams.com. Visit Charlotte's Profile to see how she is coming back from a major injury setback. Her art is phenomenal - her love for wildlife shines through - as does her commitment through the sale of her art, contributing to wildlife causes.
I started out on my poetic journey through the inspiration of wildlife photographs or art. Charlotte's artwork of Cecil the Lion is what inspired 'Cecil's Eyes'. In the meantime, I have also published ‘Transfixed’ based on her Rhino piece ‘Waiwai and Delia’. It seems I did a short series after all.
Artwork: Side 1. Charlotte Williams
Full Poem
Paint the Dog
Paint the Dog
As a first line
Has more of a ring
Than draw the dog
Pencil it in, stroke by stroke
Hundreds into thousands, lose count
Outsider looking in, painstaking
But not for the artist, driven
To capture the essence of the subject
Whatever endangered species
So many to choose from
One poem just won’t be enough
We say ‘Paint the Dog’, sounds better
Artistic license, but can’t compare
To her drawings that look like paintings
After first impression - photograph!
African Painted Dog
Pack Hunters of Africa, fading out
Staying alive, making a living
In the Lion's Plains domain
Stuck it out for centuries
Carved out a niche
Cooperation for a kill
Down to a fine art
Safety in numbers
And numerical advantage
Only four toes on their feet
Doesn't slow them down
Burst of speed, 70 km per hour
Gazelle may at first outrun
Wildebeest must also run faster!
Team pursuit and endurance
Oversize ears keep them in touch
Vocalisations and body language
in their hunt communications suite
Soon finds the quarry surrounded
Test the defences 360 degrees
A circle that can bite
From any direction, every
Once encircled, wear them down
Until they bring them down
And the pack is rewarded
Sustenance to hunt another day
Food for the next generation pups
Must eat quickly though
Lions and Leopards, even Hyaenas
Will muscle in, push them away
Lions will hunt successfully 1 in 4
Painted Dogs - 4 in 5 - rule the day
Yet also their days are numbered
In just the last century 97 percent gone
That's not a drop in numbers
That's a crash, who's responsible?
The usual suspects, don't need naming
Represented by just one
The penultimate invasive species
Effective even from the antipodes
Proximity not necessarily required
Crashing so many species numbers
Sadly, not one by one
Took the cooperation of the Painted
And made it universally destructive
Too many other stories to tell
With only 6,600 Painted Dogs left
1400 of those adults, still declining
Still needing huge territories
Plentiful prey, free to roam
But increasingly fenced in
How long until the next poem
'Unpaint the Dog'
In a different light
Before the colours fade
Before we lose sight
Daily morning greetings
Pack place and bonding ritual
African Painted Dog, colourful carnivore
Each dog painting is unique
As if an individual work of art
From a master artist
Easier for conservation
Learn the pattern
Never to be repeated
Know the dog
Follow its life