Dan Lukiv

The Words of Nehemiah, poetry Dan Lukiv

An excerpt, a poem that relates to chapter nine of Nehemiah // the shepherd // how frail, / the skeleton / of a wizened man, / above the billowy sheep / and grassy meadow- // how deep, / his dream, / warped as his spine, / distant as the wan moon, / heavy as the broad stone // on which he sits, / waiting for his bird, / bird of prey, / to ride, / come riding, // upon an empty wind, / with its belly in a grave, / to swoop down / and peck away, / once and for all, // the vision of a man / with brazen wings, / bearing beyond / the grey-blue peaks / above.