The Three Sheepdogs

Three sheepdogs gazed out upon a zone
     In shadow, three tears undrowned the
Weary sands, three moons unborn in fallow; 
     Thrice unbowed unto the cannibal realm, 

Faltering embers, windswept sighs. The first 
     Was called FDA, the second CDC, and the 
Third WHO, shades that roved upon the gloaming; 
     The gelid eye remorseless, crimson were their 

Maws. Whereupon that defiled blotted earth, 
     Deathly wolds where countless sheep did
Lay, their soiled locks now lifeless; no hearth 
     To warm the traveler, no maid to soothe the 

Castaway; and through that withering wasteland 
     Wept ashes borne of felled angels, an unmarked
Grave where no lilies grow – silence swept 
     The cataclysm. And the night rained down,

And the suns rained down, and the soul of 
     Man rained down upon the mere; three sheep-
Dogs gazed out upon a world once callow, lost 
     Scepters of the diadem, a canopy without stars.

David Penner’s articles on politics and health care have appeared in Dissident Voice, CounterPunch, Global Research, The Saker blog, OffGuardian and KevinMD; while his poetry can be found at Dissident Voice, Mad in America, and redtailedhawk.substack.com. Also a photographer, he is the author of three books of portraiture: Faces of The New Economy, Faces of Manhattan Island, and Manhattan Pairs. He can be reached at 321davidadam@gmail.com. Read other articles by David.