​Vital Signs Ups and Downs, by Margo Davis

Painting by Shanti, the Elephant, Houston Zoo (USA) contemporary. Photo by Margo Davis.

​Vital Signs Ups and Downs
 
Turned around in a hospital hallway
I stumble upon her work. And full-stop.
Did Shanti pick up tips from PBS
reruns? No way could she have caught
the ubiquitous Bob Ross’s Joy of Painting,
his thirty-plus year success not aired
at the Zoo but playing in most any waiting 
area. I read Bob preferred a light
wet-on-wet oil process he completed
within his 30-minute program. With
soft edge strokes he captured serene
lakes, mountains, snow, log cabins--
the great American outdoors. This Asian
elephant paints abstract hope by
wrapping her trunk around a brush.
Is either a painter? entertainment?
Bob, I read, nursed infirm squirrels,
snakes, armadillos, gators. Shanti nursed
her latest after a 21-month gestation
and nineteen-hours’ labour! The calf
tipping in at 314 lbs. Art critics say
Shanti mixes paint in sand for texture.
Her heart-shaped signature, a kiss
on canvas. Kisses, new-found friend

Margo Davis
​
Margo Davis is a poet who loves to photograph. Or is it the reverse? A juried photo of hers appeared in Barcelona’s PH21 Gallery in January 2026. Others appeared or are forthcoming in several journals, including Flyaway. Margo’s poetry has been featured in The Ekphrastic Review and Verse Daily. Her new collection, Uncoupling, is available on Amazon. Margo hovers in Houston, a packed bag beneath the bed.