Man or Beast
Ronnie Lamkin
Walking down an ancient path
I heard a rustle in the brush
I thought that it must be someone
For hunters flock this place
Then appeared in front of me a wild boar
Dark brown skin with bristly hair
Mucus running out its snout
Ivory tucks protruding from his mouth
He stood there staring at me
His brown eyes pierced my being
Like a demon trying to take possession
Searching for something in my soul
The moment seemed an eternity
Were we friends or foes from long ago
This I will never know
Just that I knew him and he knew me
I confess my first thoughts were of trophies
Yet this animal seemed more my equal
Than a beast to hunt
More a man than most my friends
Eyes like mirrors were his
Causing me to reflect on myself
What was I doing here
If not to meet this beast
Friend or demon, I know not which
This poem is for you
That some day we meet again
So you may talk to me
In the distance was the sound of hounds
Hunters were closing in
I told my friend to run and hidw
I would protect him
The hunters I went to meet
And told a tale of a stag
That ran in the opposite direction
Sending them away from my friend
We parted that Autumn day
And have not seen since
Yet I know he is there, in the brush
Waiting to talk with me, of men and beasts.
