Poem randomly derived from reading the TLS

HOUSMAN'S FRIEND

A man so loved so easily admired
A leopard stroked her ribs against the bars
That furtip might reach fingers: like small stars
Electrostatic brightness. So desired
Thundered across their paddocks wildebeest
Brindled and widehorned buffalo and gnu
Did this for him but not for me or you
You'd think we'd get a soulful gaze at least
From big brown eyes. The tallest male giraffe
Would lick his parting, first lift off his hat
And drop. So loved was Prof John Arthur Platt.
It was recorded in a photograph
Embarrassing? Asked, he admìted, quite.
He only smiled at beasts to be polite.