Father Countries
The first true human, Cain was born in sorrow.
Adam covered his ears as his son crowned;
Eve had fathomed her curse. Cain made no sound.
Cain the man cleared the chamomile and yarrow,
Conceived the scythe, the digging stick, the furrow,
Coaxed wheat and emmer from the wounded ground,
And sacrificed. Searching the sky, Cain found
Only God’s vast back turned, spined by a sparrow.
The first to kill, the first to be unbrothered,
Cain ached to see God’s face, even in anger.
Some sheep came wandering by; they ate the wheat.
A spotted moon rose; all the emmer withered.
Cain, soon to father countries of pure hunger,
Slaughtered a lamb and salted its bright meat.
From
Weighing Light (Ivan R. Dee, 2005).
First appeared in 32 Poems, Fall 2003 (issue 2).