On the veldt,
the cheetah stands.

A thing of beauty,
balance, elegance,
symmetry

Swift and svelte,
focussing his hopes
upon the antelopes
nearby grazing.

And he, tensing,
sensuous, graceful,
lithe and lethal,
a guided missile

Aimed and waiting
to launch into action,
become a virtual
poem in motion.

A killing creature,
a machine fashioned,
over the years,
of grace and beauty.
and cruelty.

Poised there
In all his elegance.