Hare and Hart

Chris Ellery

November 18, 2021

“Now, when we sit down to a meal, we thank God, you know, or our idea of God, for having given us this. [Primitive hunters] thanked the animal.” (Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth Ep. 3 – “The First Story Tellers”)

Chasing the 12-point buck

you do not realize

the buck is chasing you. 

You are the intended victim. 

Do not refuse.

Once 

you tied the hind legs of a hare,

and pulling her ears you stretched her neck

to the knife. 

Your own blood rained

on the white fur

  and on your hands.

Now your hounds have bayed the bear. 

Can you feel their teeth?

You have butchered cattle by the thousands. 

Chickens, pigs, sheep, fish—

a host 

of the living given to carnivorous need.

Where is the meat of your feast?

How will you appease

the mother of all things?

Hunter, 

when the stag is bleeding on the forest floor,

when the hart is in your iron sights, 

will you lose your divinity?

Or will you hear your own spirit 

invoking you 

with blessing, tenderness, and thanks?

Chris Ellery is the author of five books of poetry, including Elder Tree, a collection inspired by Celtic mysticism. His poems have appeared recently in Blue Hole, Crosswinds, and The American Journal of Poetry, He is a long-time resident of San Angelo, TX.