Upon the broad and steadfast plain
A quarrel gripped the gathered winds,
Who boasted only they could beat
And break the proud and silent ground.
So, each contrived to make it howl
And tore the land with awful whips,
Scattering fearful sheep and goats,
Savaging leaf and stalk and grain.
Blow followed blow, terse as the rain
That aimless strikes both head and heel.
At last, the trembling ground gave way
And groaned a long and loud complaint.
“Who struck you, land, and stirred your voice?”
The plain gave no reply, so they
With mockery sewed briar seeds
In hope the ground would harvest pain.
Todd Anderson (Stuff of the Rind, Sand and Sail, The Reluctant Prophet) writes the newsletter Mirth to share a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process as well as to offer readers the first fruits of his poetry and reflections. He grew up in the forests of small-town Ontario, contending against nature in all its beauty and harshness. His training as a literary scholar of Latin and English literature inflects his love of poignant turns of phrase, but it is the influence of his family and their myriad adventures together that infuses his story-telling and poetry with its substance and power. Todd lives and writes in Ottawa with his wife and six children. If you are interested in supporting Todd’s work, please follow the links below to donate or buy his books.
Todd Edward Anderson 