The conversion of Sheep

The Conversion of Sheep
When St Filian first came upon the sheep
they stood with their Sumerian heads
and stared him out,
for it is a fact that though sheep are mentioned
many times in the bible,
it is always in a bad way.
Follow me said St Filian,
I have a new path and he pointed
into the hills, to where the sun was rising
setting the gorse to blaze.
They had seen many paths and sunrises,
you might say they were inured to them.
They had grass here, green enough,
and every second Thursday
a book group,
due to discuss that night the third of
Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy,
illustrating existentialism
in a non-Western context.
Nevertheless they saw
the fine pitch of madness
in the old man’s eyes
and, reminding themselves
they were essentially
compliant herd animals,
followed.

Hugh MacMillan


Yesterday it was frisky bullocks, today it was these bad girls hurtling down the hill, grass and twigs sticking to their fleece, so goodness knows where they'd come from. This poem just made me laugh and seems to go so well. It's referring to Scottish sheep but I reckon the Irish ones are just the same, maybe their reading matter is different.
I had to nip down to Kilcrohane and the extra shows the views - so much russet and the odd white house.
We watched an interesting documentary last night - the sheep may have seen it - on a recent archaeological discovery in Saqqara, Egypt. The team were all Egyptian and I think it was the first time that this had happened, digs normally being overseen by other countries. The finds were incredible and although some of the methods might have made other archaeologists wince, the sheer joy, utter respect and age old connection that everyone showed was very refreshing.