Two Types of Ibeks
The Fare Forward Poetry Competition: First Place
By D.S. Martin
with thanks to David Attenborough & the BBC
There are those who believe in resurrection
& those who don’t (people that is
I’m talking about people) & those
rodeo cowgirls in cliche clothes
untangling lassoes of their own
They lift their eyes toward mountains
Where might their help come from?
It’s unthinkable to think
of the Athabasca Glacier
dripping down to nothing
though all it needs for rebirth
is a new ice age hard to imagine
the Egyptians Incas & Inuit
inventing the same proofless premise
It’s like the instinct newborn ibeks get
of how to bound along sheer slopes
& how they know
the pretty red fox is not
their friend There are two types
of ibeks those who thirst for the water
a thousand feet down & those
already drinking
D.S. Martin is the author of five poetry collections, including Ampersand (2018), Conspiracy of Light: Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis (2013), and his new book Angelicus (2021)—all from Cascade Books. He is Poet-in-Residence at McMaster Divinity College. He is also the Series Editor for the Poiema Poetry Series, where he has edited more than thirty poetry collections and three anthologies. He and his wife live in Brampton, Ontario; they have two adult sons.
Wonderful imagery by DS.Martin always a pleasure to read his poems that stretch godly imagination and allow deeper thought when reading poetry.
A beautiful poem. The delicate ending is especially fine.
Nice work DS Martin. I keep re-reading this to feel the grip of “inventing the same proofless premise…”, where the cowgirls, glaciers, Egyptians, Incas, Inuits, and time itself weave seamlessly into each other. The ending’s filled with life and the great divide–almost like a mirror for me to see myself, which am I…
Such an exquisite, vivid poem!
A very fine poem here, beautifully constructed and achieved. The subtlety of Biblical reference and its relevance to the subject greatly enhance the success of the piece and the mixture of hard reality and gentle exoticism lift the poem to a high degree of excellence. A real achievement and worthy of acclaim.
This is so elegant, so tightly packed! Each time I read it, I pick up something else. Thank you, Don
This is such an elegant and tight expression of connected ideas. Thank you, Don
There’s a winsome, wide-ranging energy here, gentle and generous. You make it look easy, D.S.
And that string of small, supple leaps? Wonderfully emblematic of the Ibeks.
I want to test my footing, bow my head and drink . . .
Thank you.