Cuarenta

 

Cuarenta



The length of a fast or an inundation,

The price in acres of a pioneer;

The age to hear Gabriel’s revelation,

The paragraphs in a Sikh’s daily prayer.

The cycle of a Hebrew generation,

The full term of a pregnancy;

The objects of a Buddhist meditation,

The Venetian quaranta giorni.

 

The lashes of a Sanhedrin sentence,

Minus one, for avoidance of error,

So, emerging from quarantine penance,

We stumble forward in terror,

Of the last one, held in abeyance.

 

 

Steve Lang

 

 

Steve Lang has published one collection of poetry to date, entitled, "'Heavenly Hurt".

Steve’s poem, “Raphael” has been nominated by Ariel Chart International Literary Journal for the 2020 Pushcart Poetry Prize and is currently the magazine’s most-read piece. The same magazine also recently published “Lady’s Slipper”, “My empty hammock” and “Two dragonflies joined”.

“Hymn to Ninkasi”, a sonnet, was just recently published by Grand Little Things and “The fig and the wasp” has been accepted for publication in October by Plum Tree Tavern.

Though from Scotland originally, Steve has travelled widely, especially in Africa and currently lives in El Salvador with his wife and three children, where he is Director of a large and well-known international school.

 

 

 


2 Comments

  1. there is a classical religious tone to the work that harkens back to the day of a more literate people. may we find that day once again. you, sir, are pointing the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a lovely comment Howard... many thanks! Did you notice that it is a sonnet with a missing last line to represent the (so far) undelivered, blow?

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