No

by Pavel Chichikov

No no – he's three

Won't go here, won't go there

Eat, sleep – fatigued is he

And bolted to the ground

He cries, he stamps

His feet, but never lies

That comes later and the stare

Of disbelief –

Or fury if he dares

And then the whole world underneath

His stamping feet –

Though if a sheep he bleats

But what sheep has a knife

Concealed beneath the wool?

What sheep is cruel?

Insatiable and then

The no no no –

Always crony, never friend

As if two separate species lived

On Earth

And one deprived

No no no – it can't go on –

One horn

For every sheep and every capricorn

The banal suffering of the meek

Diverging from

The banal opulence of the sleek

Sheep, sheep, all sheep

As once

In Nazareth I saw the shepherd's crook

Around the foreleg of a ewe –

He hauled and she resisted –

It was that one they slew

Click here to follow Pavel's ongoing epic poem “The Shoulder of the Sun.” You may also visit Pavel's website at Grey Owl Press.