Forgotten Ground Regained

A Lost Prayer

The ground and grass have gone dry for monthsand a snarl of roots strangle the rocky hill.
And the unashamed sheep bleat their shrilland hopeless cries for food that I have failed
to serve. What silence, this shepherd in Walesmust endure? Many months have gone by.
Depressed knees dig dry dirt, arms ditched to sky,I pray louder than before; barter pride for hope.
Dear Holy Father in heaven, how are we to copewith this ravaging hunger that roams around, seeks
whom or what it can devour; when will you speakto me? Silence stays. Have you nothing to say?
For a grim, graceless moment, the sky is full of gray.But then, the heavens flash; clouds clash before cracking
with recalcitrant rain, a rollick that mocks my lackingfaith. Even the rocks stand resolute, firm as altar stones.
In Forgotten Ground Regained, Issue 9, Winter 2026 Psalms and Meditations
Note from the author:
The poem, a psalm-like prayer, was inspired by the Welsh poet, R. S. Thomas, who had a heart for the farmers. During his lifetime (1913-2000), there were several severe droughts affecting Wales, most notably a 16-month-long Standpipe Drought (1975-1976). It is written mostly in alliterative accentual verse (~4 stresses/line) with a daisy-chain rhyme scheme of ab bc cd de ef gh ia, which has rhyme similarities to that of the Claire sonnet and in the final couplet, repeats the rhyme of the beginning line (in the spirit of a Duplex sonnet).
Copyright © John C. Mannone, 2025
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