the enso

"Sheep #1" by marlowe

the poem

Only the uninitiated, the naïve,
or the foolish claim
that sheep are docile creatures, blissful
in their domesticated ignorance,
unaware of a life beyond this field.
Oh, herding sheep is like herding cats.
Have you ever seen a shepherd with one collie?
Sheep will always escape
when given the chance, truly believing
grass tastes better from the neighbor’s yard.
And when cornered, about to be sheared,
a ram will toss you as though you were a gnat,
especially when you have him by the horns.
Like wolves, or any other wild animal
disturbed during dinner, sheep
will run you down, chase you
the full length of the pasture
until you hop the fence, panicked,
unable to look back at what could have been.