During Australian Poetry Month, poet David Brooks has shared a work reflecting on insomnia and the emotional toll of animal advocacy. The poem, titled 'Counting Sheep', explores the struggle of trying to sleep while haunted by the realities of live sheep export.
Brooks, who lives with rescued sheep, explains that counting sheep is difficult because each animal has a face and personality. In the poem, he imagines sheep escaping down an exit ramp, but notes that saving them from export often only condemns them to slaughter, creating a moral bind.
The poet describes the exhaustion of animal advocacy, with hopes repeatedly dashed. He writes of ships departing regardless, and numbers that seem to progress but move backward. The poem also includes glimmers of hope, such as 'kelp in the wave-wash', suggesting how things might be.
Australian Poetry Month runs throughout August, featuring festivals, events, workshops, and a daily commissioned poem from Red Room Poetry.
