The Herd Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

The Herd



The shepherd
While taking his herd
To the greener pasture
And all the way
From the high mountains
Traveling day and night

With his dog
And backpack
Unaware of the happenings in the world
And always behind his herd
Knows every sheep
By color and character

And in search of green grass
His symbols and whistles
His best friend
His shepherd dog
You cannot distinguish
The leader and the herd

Yet when he is behind his herd
And lo he is carrying one lamb
In his hands
So is the spirit
Of his leadership
The leader as he is
He knows his job
And his destiny

The greener pastures
And the fertile valleys
Of abundance
For in this cruel winter
In his native village
Where snow clad peaks
And glaciers
Makes life difficult

So I have a herd too
A trusting herd
They call me their shepherd
And their leader
I also know by instinct
That where to take my herd
In the peak season
Of the winter cold

My herd surrounding me
And my best friend too
My stalk and my backpack
But have no direction
I am carrying my herd to
No destiny

I have the vision of greener pastures
But I am debilitated
By lethargy unknown to me

My herd
And the warm breath
And I sleeping among them
Touch me every time
Kiss me on my body
Look at my feet
With amazement

In the hope
That one day
And one fine morning
I will wake up
From my slumber
And then will take them
To the valleys
Of green pastures

And on the way
In the breeding season
They will give birth to small lambs
There will be abundance of milk
And happiness and vast green fields

In the valley
Where in spring
Flowers will flourish
The rose and the nightingale
The coquetry of the beloved
The scents and sounds
From the places distant

And
After having lived in the valley
They shall
Travel back
And when the winters are over
And back home
They shall tell their kins
Their stories
Of travels and love

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Mehreen Tahir 15 May 2008

nicely penned piece... best wishes, mehreen

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