Caedmon, a shepherd at the abbey, writes a poem – a poem by William Ross

Caedmon, a shepherd at the abbey, writes a poem

He fell asleep hard by. He was simple 
and lived among the animals,
was not given to speech except
to call his herd and settle them
before laying in the hay.

Fell asleep hard by,
because it was the time when
drinking started and songs were
improvised, and in terror
he would excuse himself
to find solace with the animals
who asked nothing.
Then, peaceful sleep would come.

Fell asleep hard by,
after answering the dream
that set him on fire,
his tongue forming sounds
never before shaped by him,
music to the locals,
holy prayer to the ears of the
abbess, and even the sheep
followed after, hearing
for the first time
sacred poetry.

William Ross is a Canadian writer and visual artist living in Toronto. His poems have appeared in Rattle, The New Quarterly, Humana Obscura, Bicoastal Review, The Hooghly Review, Underscore Magazine, Amethyst Review, Bindweed Magazine Anthology, Topical Poetry, Heavy Feather Review, Passionfruit Review, and others.