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Monday 29 March 2010

I am the man who corralled the wolf (& Haiku #96)

Back in early February I posted a poem entitled I am the man who swallowed the boy. In fact it was one of a pair. At the time I did not feel ready to loose its companion on an unsuspecting world, but here it now is:-

I am the man who corralled the wolf,
hunted it down and baulked at the kill.
I am the man who thought that to name it,
thought that to shame it, would weaken its will.

I am the man who nurtures the wolf,
nurtures the wolf, supposing he must,
must either nurture or slaughter the wolf,
but cannot hate it enough.

I am the man with a knife on his belt,
the knife that was meant for its heart,
the knife that remained in its leathery sheath
when I chose the less difficult part.

I am the man who placated the wolf
(having hunted it down and baulked at the kill),
who corralled it safely away from the crowd -
since when it has eaten its fill.

I am the man with a wolf for a friend
who has lived with its lusts and disdain,
who with horror discovered it part of him,
whose fear of it kept it enchained.

I am the man who baulked at the kill,
who baulked at the death of the beast,
who thought he could handle both it and the thrill -
was invited to some of its feasts.

I am the man in the anti-wolf guise,
despising the thing that it is,
steeling myself to its wayward charms
as it proffers its Judas kiss.

I am the man with a thorn in his side,
a devil that pricks at his pride,
a wolf that's knocking all night at his gate -
at an ego he cannot deflate.

I am the man with the wolf in the fold,
aware of the damage it's caused,
how innocence bleeds from the teeth of the wolf
and the love that was there is grown cold.



Haiku #96

From big business come:-
debt, dysfunction and dissent.
(Football's present state.)

26 comments:

Raj said...

wow. i bow to thee in awe.

extremely compulsive as a read and equally impressive.

thank you for sharing :)

Elisabeth said...

This is simply stunning, Dave. Where have you been hiding all your life? Your poetry grows from strength to strength. Like Raj, I am in awe.

Kay said...

First, something just happend when I tried commenting on here... my response posted to my blog...strange... (way to early for that stuff to happen haha)

Anyways, what I said was:
I remember the February posting, it lingers in the mind still and I have no doubt this one will do the same. Very provoking and powerful.

David Cranmer said...

Marvelous, evocative poetry.

Carl said...

Absolutely stunning. A perfect pairing these two poems make. Dave thank you for sharing your talent with us.

Tess Kincaid said...

Love the metaphors here and various layers, Dave.

Kay, Dave's post title is under Loud Silence in my blogroll. Something strange is going on.

Jinksy said...

I found this a harrowing tale of a life time's struggle with a personal demon which shows great fortitude on the part of the writer.

Dianne said...

Now that's a rhyme I can relate to.

gerry boyd said...

Nice piece Mr. King. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

Very compelling and deep. Excellent work!

Linda Sue said...

god help the beast in me...
Love this one Dave, I am particularly keen on wolves, glad that ,in the end, wolf has it's way.

Enchanted Oak said...

This was a rollicking, ominous poem. Beautifully done!

CiCi said...

The poem seems to be allowing outsiders to see a strong obsession within that is being held at bay. Or am I reading too much into it? It is very good, strong and probably to some even alarming.

Helen said...

Struggling with an addiction is what this poem says to me ... the pain, the futility, the sheer strength of fighting it.

Kass said...

I want to sing this,
dress up in a wolf costume
and dance like a beast.

Marvelous!

bard said...

Fantastic! I love the way this one flows off the tongue, and the potential metaphors are intriguing.

Ronda Laveen said...

I really liked the pacing of the poem. Loved it in fact. It just carried me along.

Friko said...

a very good poem;
whether you tame the wolf or not, you will live with it. You cannot kill the wolf, the wolf will die with you. accept him. Why has love grown cold?

Dave King said...

Raj
Hi Raj and welcome. Many thanks for those kind words.

Elisabeth
Again, that's so kind of you. My mumalways taught me to keep my head down!

Kay
That has happened to me, too. I have also had comments posted by and to bloggers I did not know turn up in my emails! Strange indeed!

Your other remarks are very much appreciated. Thanks.

David
Appreciate that.

Carl
All comments are useful. Comments like that encouraging.

willow
Curiouser and curiouser. Thanks for the poem comment.

jinksy
Hence the initial reluctance. Much thanks for the observation.

Diane
Rewarding. Ihave had a few emails on the same lines. Many thanks for that.

Gerry Boyd
Welcome to my blog. My thanks for stopping by to comment.

LadyCat
And a warm welcome to you to my blog. Thanks for visiting and for your very kind comment.

Linda Sue
That's the thing about them, isn't it? The dodgy characters are always the most appealing!

Enchanted Oak
Thanks a lot. Rollicking.. ominous... I like both of those!

TechnoBabe
No, I'd say you had it absolutely right. Thanks for that. V ery encouraging.

Helen
Right again - but don't forget the enjoyment of it, the pleasure beneath the pain - and I'm not talking masochism!

Kass
Now that would be fun - I might even join you!

bard
Hi and welcome to you. Your remarks are very much appreciated.

Ronda
That's useful to know. There's a fine line between the required pace and the thumpetty thump rhythm.

Friko
The wolf will not e killed because the man has not the desire to kill it. He cannot hate it enough. But also he cannot love it enough. He enjoys what he enjoys of the wolf, but the wolf will always outsmart him in the end because it is of the old brain - as are the pleasure and displeasure centres - whilst he operates a code of ethics concocted by the upper, newer brain.
(I do appreciate the way you drive my thinking one layer deeper - That particular verse came largely out of the old brain. Your question engaged the newer parts.)

Dave King said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen said...

Excellent poetry, Dave! Your haiku are sometimes witty, sometimes wise, and often fun, but your long poetry always blows me away!

I love how this builds the awareness that you are the wolf. Great last lines:

I am the man with a thorn in his side,
a devil that pricks at his pride,
a wolf that's knocking all night at his gate -
at an ego he cannot deflate.

I am the man with the wolf in the fold,
aware of the damage it's caused,
how innocence bleeds from the teeth of the wolf
and the love that was there is grown cold.

Manisha JM said...

Hello Mr.King,

I have been following your blog for quite sometime now, and it is impossible to keep my admiration silent any longer.

I enjoy your haiku's, but its your story-like poems that really enthrall me. It's as if i was in that very person's shoes...

Keep em' coming!

Dave King said...

Karen
Thank you so much for those very gracious comments.

Manisha
Welcome to my blog. And such overwhelming compliments. Thanks for coming and for commenting.

Shadow said...

we all have a wolf of our own to contend with, don't we. i like the way its been written, it moves from verse to verse with such ease.

Unknown said...

So much praise for this one, Dave. And thoroughly worth it. Like the haiku too.

Dave King said...

Shadow
Yes, I'm sure we all do have the wolf inside us. Thanks for the comment.

Derrick
And much thanks in return.