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      August 21, 2015Cruelest of All Are the Gods Who Never FrownMichael Meyerhofer

      Image: “Goats” by Aparna Pathak. “Cruelest of All Are the Gods Who Never Frown” was written by Michael Meyerhofer for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, July 2015, and selected as the Editor’s Choice. (PDF)
      I am tired of goats walking on ledges—
      how calmly they disregard their own peril,
      how even those nubby little horns
      seem less like swirls of keratin
      than middle fingers poised above faces
      that have evolved into wide, permanent grins.
      Maybe it’s our ancestors’ fault
      for wanting smiles on their milk cartons
      instead of missing children.
      Did you know that goats sometimes
      get their heads stuck in fences and have to wait
      until a farmer comes by to free them?
      It’s the horns. To remove them
      is called disbudding. It takes a tool
      like an Inquisitor’s pliers, castration bands
      that resemble swollen wedding rings,
      and a big glass of water to soak them in.

      from Ekphrastic Challenge

      Comment from the editor, Timothy Green

      “Part of the fun in making this selection after the artist’s choice is highlighting a poem that’s very different from the other winner. While this month’s image filled many poets with either anxiety or awe, no one but Michael Meyerhofer responded this way—with disdain. Coupled with a voice as sure-footed as these goats on the ledge themselves, the effect is transformative—what were once faces of casual confidence suddenly become smug and menacing. That’s no easy feat, and makes for a truly memorable poem.”

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