Ram Tough
Ewe Tender

Family Ungulate
with obsidian hooves, glass slippers
the goat, horse, camel, elk.

Ungulate
hof, house, hoof. Old English
un – under. Latin
gulae – throat. Latin ungula - hoof . Latin

The runners and jumpers,
with long tendon legs, soft whiskered nose
prey to mountain lions and wolves
from across the far land bridges
a million starry years ago
a trillion moons, rains and bows ago
crossing and moving
leaving and returning
stretching back in time for miles
more than the eye of the mind can see

far cousins
obstinate goat, pushy as its wild ancestor
a life lived on rocky ledges.
The wooly sheep, soft and gullible

Bighorn Sheep
evenly formed body, stout and rugged
close to the ground
Large spiral horns, like the extinct ammonite.
Horns and hooves, hardened shells, dense and brittle
cool smoothness and gliding contours
Wide-set eyes to see to the far sides, left, right, up and down
a full circle view on the steep cliff, above and below
and even behind
Broad and smooth plane of the forehead
horns begin deep and rise outward

Big Horn Sheep
runs wild with its herd
on the hillsides in scattered groups
Undulating down the hills
down steppes, tippy-toe, the click-clack hooves
land square from a short flight
grey-white rock, peach-tan shale
in the cool blue shade and hot sun
dry deserts, lush green mountains
crumbling pebbles
skipping down the cliff face
free fall tumble

The BigHorn Sheep
laughing as she went
climbing over rocks
until the rising tide
that brought the ships
the British, French, German, Dutch
gunpowder, charred coal
carbon base from which all life evolved
the fire of life and the fire of death
killing as they went from the salty Atlantic to the salty Pacific
leaving piles of carcasses across the landscape
Kuster’s last stand, migrant from Germany
killing the Indians
the human predator
the European hunter with the new invention
the Winchester and the endless ammunition
shooting down bighorns and buffalo
in a crazy-man frenzy, loco
against life
pulling a trigger is their prowess
then feel like a cowboy conqueror
a conquistador without the silver armor
waging a game of extermination on the wild animals
Bighorn sheep neared extinction.
The wild west, the slaughtered west.
Breaking the taboo of killing life without need

Modern day hunter
jeans and plaid shirts, hiking boots
army fatigue jacket
farmer hat, sunglasses
weapons of war used to kill wild animals
for pleasure
A crack shot splits apart the sky
a bighorn sheep falls,
a bullet in his side
laying on the ground, his body becomes cold
the life dissipates out
extinguishing the heat, the heart, the beat
falling onto mother earth, the last sounds it hears, the grass moving
the hunters boots clomping
bleeding out the life until death

folktales of old contain the ancient rules
that still will stand
governing the taking from nature
Dali of the Crags
the spirit woman who lives in the Caucasus mountains of Russia
holds dear all the wild animals
blows a hard wind
to blow out the campfire, and bring a blinding snowstorm
an avalanche
onto the recreational hunter
who kills for a thrill
for a posed picture, gloating over the dead carcass
of the beautiful BigHorn Sheep

by Ann Frances

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