Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 334
322
IMMERSE
•
POETS
“Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?
Who untied its ropes?
I have placed it in the wilderness;
its home is the wasteland.
It hates the noise of the city
and has no driver to shout at it.
The mountains are its pastureland,
where it searches for every blade of grass.
“Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?
Will it spend the night in your stall?
Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow?
Will it plow a field for you?
Given its strength, can you trust it?
Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work?
Can you rely on it to bring home your grain
and deliver it to your threshing floor?
“The ostrich flaps her wings grandly,
but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.
She lays her eggs on top of the earth,
letting them be warmed in the dust.
She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them
or a wild animal might destroy them.
She is harsh toward her young,
as if they were not her own.
She doesn’t care if they die.
For God has deprived her of wisdom.
He has given her no understanding.
But whenever she jumps up to run,
she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.
“Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.
It laughs at fear and is unafraid.
It does not run from the sword.
The arrows rattle against it,
and the spear and javelin flash.
It paws the ground fiercely
and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.
39:5-24
