Now where people park their cars
on tarmac for some shopping
once stood an open field where
you'd oft see sheep a-hopping
A shepherd's hut stood to the south
close to its southern border
fenced in with wooden latticework
to keep the sheep in order
On Tarmount Lane in Shoreham town
the shepherd's field you'd see
for many years with grazing
for the sheep that wandered free
And today there were sheep
In the lower field still
jumping about and
climbing the hill
They ignored us of course
but I waved just the same
as they didn’t know
the reason we came
For today there were sheep
but sometime there are not
Sometimes it is cold
and sometimes it is hot
But we always come
because this is our grace
and together we three
are alive in this place
The sheep had a convention
in the upper field today
I suspect grass was the subject
or some munching anyway
And there were clearly some ringleaders
as they moved around a lot
their noses buried in the grass
from spot to luscious spot
Clouds in the field
and up in the sky
caught my eye there
as I wandered by
Some in the green
and others in blue
reflecting each other
the fall to eschew
To the beginning son, go back with me
Remember how I stood beside you when…
No, you only remember my absence.
Here we return with precision, an arrow
Fired by the great Tell who reveals us.
The apple on our heads, the gift of Eve
Who saw in us the beginning of Love.
This week you’ll find me writing
(continuing with a leap)
about an animal each day
and today concerns a sheep
We think of them as stupid
but I’m not having that at all
For I know they have intelligence
like this one on a wall
Poet's Corner 