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Sunday, April 3, 2016

POEM #3- BYGONES



April is National Poetry Month. For the past four years, I have joined my friend Mary Lee, at POETREPOSITORY and YEAR OF READING in writing a poem every day for a month. This year, Mary Lee's theme is BYGONES. She has selected thirty vintage photographs from a collection she found at her mom's house in Burlington, Colorado, and is writing from one photograph every day. I'm not sure if I will write from Mary Lee's photographs every day, or if I will see if I can find some of my own. For the past few years, we have been joined by several other amazing poets- Kevin Hodgson and Steve Peterson. Don't miss Steve's "When the threshing crew arrived."  Here is my offering for day #3…

"Abundance?"

Last March
I strode to the barn 
flung open the bastions
then halted in decidedly 
unsoldierlike wonder
I leaned across splintered wood
breathed hay-touched air
and marveled at you 
a few hours old
grunting and suckling
at your mama's nipple

Six months later
here I am 
proud conqueror
swinging you 
upside down 
by your hocks
and announcing to the world
that soon you will 
be bacon 
on my breakfast platter

and it's not like
i'm not grateful
for one more year
of abundant provision
but somehow
I just can't forget
that sweet hay-touched
spring morning
and all that 
grunting and suckling

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016


There are lots of other really interesting poetry projects going on this month, and  Jama Rattigan has compiled a list  here

1 comment:

Mary Lee said...

I wonder if it wasn't as hard for them to slaughter (maybe that should be the title? or too grim?) as it is for us to even imagine actually killing with our hands for the meat we eat...