When women came at evening to draw,
The foreigner stilled his thirsty camels.
Clay jar in hand, Bethuel’s daughter
Descended to the spring, as ev’ry virgin
Descended, rising rich in water.
Had he lingered while she passed,
Shouldering her burden back to town,
Another might have heard the cry, “I thirst”
And felt a golden ring pierce her sweet nose.
What lass could know the camels were a sign,
Hard panting with a naked sun behind?
Not nature, but her heart taught best to serve
Where chores were thick and family most thin.
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 