The Anxious Lambs Poem by Atef Ayadi

The lambs are following
A few goats
To the highest
Mountain
Of the ancient Sinai.
They become tired
Of the shepherd’s expectations,
And his restless smart dog’s barking.
They like to be free.
They like to adventure
With what they know
Into the inaccessible,
And into the wonders
Of a new magic green land.
They like to be taken
With force
To the unknown.
The goats are well
Adapted and
Skillful in the matters of
Heights
And follow the old paths.
They think ''Me first and
Then the lambs.''
The lambs still are lambs.

The shepherd closes his eyes
Sometimes
He knows the goats’ nature
And ambitions.
He uses them
Sometimes
To challenge his lambs
For the welfare
Of everyone.
He knows their past.
The lambs know their own past.
It is rare to find a lamb that
Recognizes that it is a lamb.
The goats know both.
The dog is seeking only a reward.
It is a renaissance way of thinking
For both goats and lambs.
The shepherd is always a shepherd
The dog remains a dog
The past remains as ancient as Sinai.