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| @skyloverpoetry Kerry O'Connor |
The moon is hunting tonight stalking
the dark culverts a white lion prowling
the margins of extinction knows well
the barren pathways of its narrowing orbit
despite a billion stars now born upon the hour
what is one less rock polished by its lone
rotation around a planet slowly sinking into
its own sea one less lion in a random universe
where life itself is a thing unregarded
This poem is a tribute to the life and work of W.S. Merwin, who passed away on March 15 2019.
I was inspired by the style of his poem After the Spring, and by Margaret's Artistic Interpretations Challenge on Real Toads.
As I began to write about this month's full moon, my youngest daughter sent me this photo of three white lions she photographed in the town of Reitz, on the road to Johannesburg. All these sources came together in the few lines of my poem.
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| White Lions Reitz, South Africa |
The last line of your beautifully crafted poem like a punch in the gut .... truth.
ReplyDeleteA sad truth, indeed.
DeleteI wonder when we realize that we are the same the last lion...
ReplyDeleteour turn comes next. Wonderful poem
And how pointless are we in the great scheme of things anyway?
DeleteThat sense of slowly fading away....you captured it well with your words.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Viv.
DeleteThe planet sinking into its own sea is very apt. I would love to see the white lions. There are four cubs in the sanctuary in Timbavati.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen these lions myself but they are a few hours drive away from where I live.
DeleteI am so ashamed at times being part pf the human race who quite blindly kills both fauna amd flora and destroys the environment for a short term profit completely ignoring how this will affect the world and himself...so long as the money keeps rolling in. I just can understand why those that think can't be stronger and sensible and most of all caring for their children by providing a future; not a big bank balance.
ReplyDeleteThere's sense and then there's cents... sadly the second kind counts more.
DeleteThose last lions are speaking for the folly of man in his use of God given duty of 'Stewards of the Earth' and all that is within. Kerry, your daughter is brave stopping so close to take pictures.
ReplyDelete..
You make a good point, Jim. There is a safety fence between visitors and the lions, so my daughter was not in any danger.
DeleteSadly humans too often roar about the wrong things. We are the architects of our own demise, and we do nothing to change it. I love the idea of a hunting moon. Beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteWe most certainly are the architects of our own demise. That is perfectly stated!
DeleteGreed is one of the ultimate evils - Power, Money, Self-Importance - and we all end up with taking none of it with us - and we will answer (or so I believe) for it, stand face to face with our own question, our own truth and there will be no denying or excuses - just us and our own judgement - for I believe God doesn't send us to hell (which I fully believe in) but our own truth FINALLY not being able to be hidden behind excuses and our own denials ... God gives us mercy - but some of us are still unable to let go... ! Anyway, yes, this is a profound poem - life unregarded - that is a sobering thought and an amazing topic for a poem. White lions seem to reflect or radiate the moon, don't they?
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insightful commentary, Margaret. We have such a problem with the social evil of canned lion hunting in this country. People are lured into this abhorred practice by their greed for dollars, and other foreign currency which multiplies greatly when converted to our own. Can you imagine looking at this sight of three young lions down the barrel of a rifle?
Deletecool pic.
ReplyDeleteto think of the horrors humans inflict, far more gory than any red-faced zebra kill. ~
Humans think about how they will kill, animals obey the laws of nature.
DeleteI must thank you for your previous comment about Merwiin's poetry. I am sorry to say I had not read much of his work before his death, but I am reading and drawing much inspiration from his punctuationless style - difficult for me to let go of the comma but kind of liberating.
So sad and true, your ending. The photograph is spectacular.
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