Next Door
By Valerie Sonnenthal
Lamb heaven’s hoppin’ only two days old
little peeps baaas and a shove over from mama
ten little lambs a lookin’ this way and that
damp freeze of spring crocuses forsythia snowdrops
and lambs whiter than the memory of last week’s snow
curious hungry wonders of wonders
walk from the moment they stand
straightening knees, muscles firing
life erupts into the world for four caretakers
taking turns round the clock nurse feed
clean cut care timeless in a heated barn
like a nest stuffed with nearly a foot of hay
each successive spring we expect the lambs
a lit barn announces arrival, soon named
number tags to come on a bloody day
for these domesticated Dorpors
who will circle us graze abutting deer
and dogs glacial rocks and Beetlebung trees
so close for a week each season
sunrise/sunset to a flock of Dorpors
Valerie Sonnenthal washed ashore in 2005, contributes to The MV Times, is a member of the Cleaveland House Poets, and owns Peaked Hill Studio, offering sound healing and Kaiut yoga. She lives year-round in Chilmark with her family and beloved dogs.
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to community@mvtimes.com.
