One Hundred

shepherd boy with sheep
sweeping through Canaan’s plain
— ninety-nine

palms & arms bears scars — paws
— bear’s &beast’s

yet,
a stray, weighs ward – west,
to waste wool in wolves’ wood.
But would he?

Wheel, he will,
from masters crook, east.
From peace to ego’s yeast

Rain strikes strokes,
Shepherd boy swims sun’s sweat streaks,
The relentless seam sewn —
Perspiration hits soil,
his hands and face,
Same — shame.

Mountains cry “not here!”
Thistles say “i wish i kissed his wool”
Shepherd boy, disappointed,
pulls quilt quietly,
quits quest never!

Torches burn midnight – his eyes.
Ears twitch for sound,
A howl of hounds, a bleat, anything!

At dusk,
Shepherd boy opens scriptures of
Reeds.
In the marred pages, a muddy lamb
Lays stuck in quagmire

“You are one worth ninety-nine.
Mine.
You are clean
”
shepherd boy with sheep still
sweeps through Canaan’s plain
— one hundred.
None lost.

Biography
Grant Williams is a budding poet based in Lafia, Nigeria. Currently a student at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, he shares most of his work on his facebook account, as well as on meetups with local poets. His work has appeared in the first ebook compilation of the Great African Poet magazine (GAP).