Keen fishermen
Of the sporting kind
Thinking themselves kind,
Release the hapless fish
They have caught
On a barbless hook.
Kind to the fish.
Not kind to a lover
Caught on the lure
Of your allure.
With no wish
To be free.
Standing on the shore
While you cast for more
In the eager sea.
~ John Bishop Ballem, 1925-2010
Earlier this month, Alberta lost a prolific writer and remarkably generous […]
“Snow Eater” the Blackfoot call you.
Born of the sea,
Flowing inland
To warm the land,
Climb a mountain
And bestow
A benediction of rain
On the forest below.
Chill and dry
At the top.
Nearly touching the sky.
Warmed by the speed
Of your descent,
You blow through
The Clouds,
Carving an arch
High in the sky.
Your signature.
Then march
Across the foothills
Raising the temperature,
Melting ice and snow
As you go.
~ John Bishop […]
