British, (b. 1955)
Herding Swine
- Dangerous, them lot,
- They root around and mark the ground,
- And every sound they make’s
- Both meaningless and clear.
- Their familiar skin,
- And the shape they’re in
- Seem natural enough
- But fear, a moment’s concentration loss
- Could cost a finger, dear.
- Their appetite’s eclectic,
- Their unrestricted taste
- Would take our prudish manners
- And gobble them, in haste.
- Yet, if in herds you pen them,
- On ‘mast or meadow bloom
- Their startling backs will gleam in rows
- Against the gathering gloom.
- Satisfied, their shapes will hold,
- Eternally, they say,
- The last, pink glowing memory
- Of every sunny day.
© Charlie Mansfield
Used with permission.
Used with permission.
Editor’s Note:
You can find out more about Charlie Mansfield at: www.pizan.lib.ed.ac.uk/mansfield.htm or eserve.org.uk.
About the Poet
Charlie Mansfield (b. 1955), is a Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh for the research project The Making of the Queen’s Manuscript which focuses on the largest surviving manuscript of the works of Christine de Pizan (1365-c.1431). [DES-9/08]