Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: BRAND (01/12/17)
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TITLE: The Evermore Mark | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ann Stocking
01/19/17 -
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When bright leaves are ruffling on trees,
God’s breath warms the earth,
The freshening earth,
A hallowed and life-giving breeze.
Newly-ploughed ground of dark, loamy soil
Holds the seeds of a harvest to come.
The cows in the field,
The deep clover field,
Tend their calves, midst the bumblebee’s hum.
As sure as the spring brings robins and rain,
The calves are inscribed with a sign.
A mark on their hides,
Their tender, fresh hides,
The rancher’s peculiar design.
And hot burns the fire,
The fierce branding fire,
And the iron is as hot as a coal.
I know it seems ruthless and harsh, to be sure,
Conceited, cruel emblem of pride.
But on cattle’s vast ranges,
The grassy, broad ranges,
Perils threaten the unblemished hide.
The unsigned become prey to hustlers and thieves
With devious plans and intents.
And a calf who gets lost,
By wandering, lost,
Is brought home, tucked inside its own fence.
Because of the mark,
The evermore mark,
The proof of the true owner’s name.
I reckon I’m akin to a slick-hided calf,
Apt to be ornery and mulish.
I insist on my way,
My bullheaded way,
Hankering for dreams that are foolish.
Cranky and stingy, with an unbridled mouth,
Prideful and indulging in wrath.
Shysters and hustlers,
Big-talking hustlers,
Steer me down ungodly paths.
And hot burns the fire,
The fierce branding fire,
And the iron is as hot as a coal.
God places that ember down deep in my soul,
It burns, and I fear I might die.
And the stench of my sin,
My self-serving sin,
Rises up, like a rank sacrifice.
Guilt and misdoings are scorched clean away,
Leaving nought but the sign of my Lord
Etched on my heart,
My purified heart;
He fits me for heaven’s reward.
Because of His mark,
His evermore mark,
The proof of my True Owner’s name.
* Unbranded livestock are termed as “slick.”
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Thank you for your creative analogy.
God bless
Such descriptive writing awakens my senses and emotions.