The darkness flees when eastern skies
send forth the gleam of amber gold.
The earth turns white when northern winds
with anguishing and mournful howls
Blow clouds of snow that drift away
across the meadows pillow soft.
Beyond the hills the she-wolf howls,
Her pups alone, her pack away.
Her echoes reach across the soft
and snowy vales beneath the skies
Of pink and amber, blue and gold;
Her tracks dispersed by gusty winds.
Across the river far away
The wolf pups cry, and sniff the winds
Beneath the rising sun of gold
for scent of milk, awaiting soft
Protective coat; alert for howls
The she-wolf casts into the skies.
The morning sun bursts forth in gold
To spread her amber glowing soft
Beneath the vast horizon skies
Upon the dell: To chase away
The chill of night, and warm the winds
That carry forth the plaintive howls.
Upon the snowy breath of winds,
Upon the devil bird in skies
That shriek and wail - to follow howls
In search of game and coins of gold,
In search of trophy wolf skins soft...
The hunters come from far away.
Alone and lost, and whimp'ring soft,
The hungry pups can hear no howls,
Not near to them, nor far away;
No mother's scent upon the winds...
The stillness steals across the skies,
But coldly clink the coins of gold.
The morning skies have lost their gold,
The evening winds moan low and soft,
And far away, no she-wolf howls.
Author notes
The sestina is a totally new form for me, and this is my first attempt. After writing and posting it, I learned from Poetryality, that in writing the original proper form, a certain sequence of ending words is to be followed from verse to verse, which I failed to adhere to. Rather than completely re-work this poem, I will just call this a "semi-sestina" and leave it go at that. Live and learn!
Written August 1st, 2004
In a list
A contest entry
- Structured Poetry by Gaffer.
300 points, ended August 9, 2004, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 24 of 24
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absoloutly amazing. There is nothing else to descride it. Just wow im still dazed
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Thanks for the comment and the applause, Kenaz. Glad you liked the poem.
Moses -
O wow. I'm utterly speechless. How can humans take such beauty and power from the world. Wolves prefer to growl and use inner strength than fight so man has no reason to do that!!!!!
This is awesome and the imagery is fantastic. keep it up.
~kenaz~canis~lupus~
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Yes, I read "White Fang" and I also saw the movie. I think the other one is called "Call of the Wild" - and I have that book.
Moses -
Very touching. Have you read White Fang by Jack London? And there is another book too he wrote about wolf. I can't remember name.
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Perfect
Oh, yes, you have heard her call! I have lived in isolated fly-ins to give service to my people. I have sacrificed so very much ("... Beyond the hills the she-wolf howls,
Her pups alone, her pack away....")to do so. I have so much I could tell you about the captured baby who returned after raising 7 childrenand, as a single parent and entering University to follow the lead of spirit.
It is not for naught that I am called Shewolf. I was adopted by people by the name of Wolf. But more... There are many stories yet to be told.
I have book marked this as a favorite. thank you so much for sharing it.
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Congratulations on your win, I adored this poem when it was first posted and am even more delighted now you have the trophy
very well done
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I enjoyed this poem tremendously... the ending is a sad reality of history...
The She-Wolf, what a fantastic topic of choice.
Astral Wolf -
Whoa, I had to do a double read. Heavy and good please write more. This touched me!
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This is incredibly captivating!! I read your author comments and I have to plead ignorance to the form you meant to follow but it wouldn't have mattered as far as I am concerned. The imagery in this piece is so vibrant and vivid and alive with color, sounds, smells and visuals. This is one of my new favorites of yours. EXQUISITE POETRY!! Good luck in the contest.
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as a native american and a wolf lover, this touched me deeply.
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this is SO awesome! i love the way it floats.. you did a great job! i really like the story behind it! you imagery is amazing i can see the she-wolf bringing the sun-rise with her holws and the cute little cubs (I want one) who wait for her. It such a pretty poem! I'm a little sad because you killed the mommy wolf in your poem. i think that's so sad. why can't peopel just enjoy the majisty of that beautiful creature, instead of killing it! there is a ban on hunting wolves... did you know? because they are near to extintion! oh they are SO pretty! awesome poem! really great write and good try!
your poison -
beautiful
So sad and captured so beautifully. It had a great message that I only wish I could get across as nicely. The way you disguised the killing was perfect! You've inspired me to be a better writer with your imagery and vivid description.
Basically, I loved this piece! Please don't stop! Keep it up!
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Wow, excellent job of looking at things. It was really a good write and I look forward to reading more of your work. Keep them coming!
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Great job. I believe I will have to research sestina, maybe write one? Maybe, but only if I feel I can do a good job. Anyway, this was beautiful! Keep up the good work!
God bless you,
~~~~~
Crosseyed387
~~~~~
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I love sestinas, I adore them, and even if the form isn't perfect, you didn't butcher this like most people. You did a beautiful job instead. You used words that had a lot of leeway to them, that gave you lots of creative room, and that all were relevant to your main topic. Great job, and good luck.
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Very good!
A very well written peice of literary work, you should be proud. It was a very nice 'semi-sestina'. Haha! I enjoyed it very much. . . truly sad, it was! Thank you!!! -
Congrats, you certainly deserved this win, but you also deserve the praise of all who revere animals and nature, in such beautiful words to convey such a cruel deed, and it happens every day at the hand of man, driven by greed, and dominion over the Earth, when all is done, man will have dominion only over a dying polluted planet filled with disease, and warring people. No room for wildlife, or woodland. I loved the double meaning of 'steals' and 'gold', so much meaning in this perfect, and touching poem, truely a masterpiece! Thank you for your kind insight, and your art. Diane
Edited on Aug 11, 10:24 because ''. -
Wonderful
well whatever you call it, it was amazing.....The pathos of the young pups waiting was incredible, all too often the call of money is deeper than the call of the wilds
............I salute you
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wonderful. I love the imagery. I love the visual appeal.
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i don't know if i can quite express how much this piece touched me. (i am very much an animal rights person). i was just floored by the beauty, depth and truth in this write. the thought of the pups left without a mother so that someone might wear her coat is haunting. you have written it so vividly and it moved me way down deep. this has to be one of my favorite poems on the site. congratulations on the gold, very much deserved.
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very good
I am really glad you found a way to leave this poem as it was. An excellent read even if it drifted away from the true sestina form.
thanks,
John -
Fragile
The greatest element you used in this piece, I'd say, was your imagery. You've increased in me the desire for a larger vocabulary. What a charm you have with words!
I'm not very familiar with this form ("Sestina is it?") but I must say, the rhythm was amazing! Quite a pleasant read. It flowed so smoothly; I had no sense of any forced lines.
The hungry pups can hear no howls,
Not near to them, nor far away;
No mother's scent upon the winds...
The stillness steals across the skies,
But coldly clink the coins of gold.
A fine write. So much so that I had to release a sigh by the conclusion. The context was extremely sad and you wove it so nicely together!
This deserves much more than I can give but hopefully this will do for now
.
"Where hope ends, He begins."
Claide -
Beautifully sad. You've pushed a button with the animal lover in me! I'm so glad you didn't directly write in the killing, you used skillful innuendo. I think suggestion (rather than blatant statements) adds so much more sadness and grief to the piece. The vocabulary was very elegant and polished. Truly a beautiful piece and a wonderful tribute to the unfortunate real-life wolf. Bravo.
Adding your comment:
1 - 24 of 24
10 old applause
