United States, (b. 1934)
For the Hog Killing
- Let them stand still for the bullet, and stare the shooter in the
- eye,
- let them die while the sound of the shot is in the air, let them die
- as they fall,
- let the jugular blood spring hot to the knife, let its freshet be full,
- let this day begin again the change of hogs into people, not the
- other way around,
- for today we celebrate again our lives’ wedding with the world,
- for by our hunger, by this provisioning, we renew the bond.
© Wendell Berry
Collected Poems, 1957-1982. North Point Press, SanFrancisco, 1985. Originally published in A Part, 1980.
Collected Poems, 1957-1982. North Point Press, SanFrancisco, 1985. Originally published in A Part, 1980.
About the Poet
Wendell Berry, (b. 1934) US poet, novelist, essayist, writer and farmer, writes and farms seventy-five acres in Henry County, Kentucky. He also speaks and writes on conservation and sustainable agriculture. [DES-6/03]