Leaping off Andean heights
white winds shriek across steppes
lashing weak and bold alike
in a fabric of untamed elements.
Lambs in winter
reclaimed by forces vaguely understood by man;
with thunderfists the cordillera whips
sheep against fences;
for endless leagues the snow is king
wrenching life from gentle things.
Gaunt foxes limp down to feed their young
on lambs with iceblue lips.
Signs of Spring,
birthing time for feeble ewes;
howling gales are pregnant
with wrath of vanished spirits
memory revisits;
of ancient tribes winka banished,
keepers of this land’s majestic hues
where sun, wind and melting glaciers
traced glades among pehuén
- the pilgrim’s bread -
not paths for myriad cloven hooves to tread.
Lambs in winter
forsaken on a raging land;
awesome cosmic dance
of snowclouds exploding in the skies.
A dying lamb seeks warmth from guanacos,
- statuettes of ice shaped by a mighty hand -
reminders of man’s foolish stance.
The Lamb betrayed…
- Yes, One died for me - a naïve child smiles.
Her candle flutters in the blackout
and Christ’s wounds weep fresh blood.
Comments
Hi Gracy
Good poem....felt sad to read about fate of lambs...the sadness bought out by the choice of words...
be well..
Hello raj, yes, Argentine
Hello raj, yes, Argentine Patagonia is wild in the southern area. Sheep are left to fend for themselves. I wrote this one particularly harsh Winter. The headlines were all about these losses. This Winter it may happen again, I live in northern Patagonia and the snow is heavy. Great losses because there's not the usual international tourism.
I hope that by now the ranchers care for their sheep in a better way.
Thanks for visiting, Gracy
Like a lamb to the slaughter,
Like a lamb to the slaughter, exactly. I'm glad you like the imagery and find my words powerful. At the time, I was angry due to all the headlines telling us about those southern ranchers not caring about their poor animals. Hopefully, this Winter they'll have better technology or whatever it takes to save their herds.
It's mighty cold where I live, but further south must be worse than freezing. The biting wind can be killing. The native animals do fairly well, but not the "imported" ones brought by the first settlers.
Thanks for commenting, take care, Gracy
My First Cambridge book was
''FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO''
life of young lonely kids
in orchards if I remember correctly ---1954/5/6
In the vast Orchards of South America
from where you hail now
Many lambs must have been sacrificed
many more reborn
This human race and full of animals
shall never be left forlorn
twice as many will be born
Man has only one hobby
Do you want me to narrate it
Glad Gracy you are a step
or maybe two
ahead of me
simply lovedly
Dear lovedly, yes, that book
Dear lovedly, yes, that book was famous during those years. Written by the wife of a settler in the far south. They are ranches (estancias), not orchards. I grew up on a farm with an orchard, but that's in northern Patagonia. Our climate is cold but far more lenient than the deep south.
Not sure that we'll never be left forlorn. It's all in Revelations. Never thought my generation might actually experience it. Visionaries have predicted the end of the world many times, so we'll see.
Thanks so much for commenting, all the best, Gracy
we all are
visionaries and self styled experts
Believe none you are equally first
I just came across this comment
sorry for the delay
Please do read my latest
TAKE ME AWAY
Lord did really come last night my way
then turned away
No Vacancy yet@.......
you know
so many are gong or being taken away
Corona may longer stay
Hi lovedly, thanks for coming
Hi lovedly, thanks for coming back. Not quite sure what you mean, but I'll take a look at your poem asap. BTW, the TV informed that at Oxford in England they've practically finished the vaccine. It may be ready in a couple of months. Already tried on people, successfully.
Best, Gracy
vaccine yes ----good news
but they never commit
some months
but of which years???
latest I hear later in 2021
then may be they will say
add on still trying
lol
by then
Corona
will be enjoying
FREE so many
millions of us
but still be positive
we needn't fuss
I was mesmerized...
by your gift for painting the wild winters of your country and the fate of the poor lambs. How like man to try and make his life better by trying to change the things around him, rather than doing better with what he has. Very nice work, you gave me pause and brought me winter winds, both are welcome in this summer heat. Thank you, ~ Geezer.
.
Dear Geez, thanks for
Dear Geez, thanks for visiting. Exactly, the conquerors and then the settlers tried to "better" everything. They should have reared guanacos and other native flora and fauna. Guanaco meat is now very good, humankind knows how to breed them to become tender and have a less harsh flavour. It was done with cows and other wild animals, but no, they just brought their own from Europe, along with trees and other flora and fauna.
Glad I refreshed you! Lol...today I walked in fairly deep snow, with my daughter. I enjoyed it, quite sunny. On Thursday a big snowfall is predicted, so if I don't appear here, it will be due to power outages. Hope not!
All the best, Gracy
Wow.
Wow. I don't know if I have any criticism at all, especially seeing as this is clearly well above my level, but I really enjoyed this. The topic is dark, real, and I think the title works perfectly to summarise.
The rhythm is also perfect. It's very clear that you have a lot of experience with writing. I often find it difficult to discern a poem's rhythm, but this was incredibly intuitive to me. I think it flows perfectly.
And of course the internal logic is fluent! It has a strong, clear message and image. Very concise. I actually didn't know about this issue at all before reading, but I think I understand it now. A mark of a great poem.
Thank you, Adrien. It's about
Thank you, Adrien. It's about Argentine Patagonia, where I live. The herds of sheep are left to roam the land freely, they're not brought in at night, as in European countries.
So when there's a snowstorm or other calamity, the lambs are decimated. The owners have so many herds, that they don't really care, but I think it's so cruel.
Thank you for your visit and kind, discerning comments.
All the best, Gracy
i dont know what to say
I'm not much of a critic and i wouldn't even know where to begin, but i just wanted to say you made a very beautiful poem i look forward to more from you. :)
Hello Lee, many thanks for
Hello Lee, many thanks for visiting and commenting. I explained above, to Adrien, the main issues of this poem.
I appreciate your visit, keep safe, Gracy