Where Sheep May Safely Graze

“Where sheep may safely graze”
is a favorite adagio by Bach
and it turned out
to be my theme song
for my recent trip
to northern England,
where I read about shepherding,
and spent days walking among
these dearly docile creatures
in their gorgeous green landscape.

What a metaphor
they seem to me,
of how to trust,
how behave,
how to allow yourself
to be cared for.
We saw thousands of sheep,
but never a perturbed one.
They get along,
running together,
gamboling and rollicking about,
frolicking companionably,
but given a quiet field,
they’ll arrange themselves
separately throughout,
each one in their own
independent bubble,
like strangers on an elevator
intuitively disperse themselves
to respectfully avoid
getting in one another’s
personal space.

And those essential boundaries–
those handsome, well kept walls,
protect the innocent fold within
without hemming them in
but effectively excluding
any dangerous intruder.

Secure,
they munch,
but they also
spend plenty of time
methodically and unhurriedly
contemplating the day,
the sun, and the breeze.
It is a good life.
Their needs are met.
The view is extraordinary.
Equipped with wooly coats,
even inclement weather
is pleasant enough.

Our divine shepherd
is just as diligent
with our care,
minding the flock of us
with gentleness and wisdom.
So we too can simply
graze and rest,
fulfilling our purpose,
through no effort of our own,
by just being truly ourselves:
a small, but important cog,
in a grand universal design
of beauty, love, and grace.

by Polly Castor
9/30/24