300 Goats

“300 Goats” is a contemporary poem of 15 double-spaced lines, with no formal pattern of rhyme or meter. It is written from the point of view of a first-person speaker in an informal, conversational tone. “Three hundred” is an even and specific number—large enough to require the imagination to do some work to picture what that quantity of goats would look like. After the title, which introduces the reader to the subject of the poem, the speaker provides a setting and some tension: The goats are “[i]n icy fields” (Line 1). The openness of the vowel sounds of icy and fields supports the image of a cold and open expanse.

The goats’ precarious situation is underscored when the speaker asks, “Is water flowing in the tank?” (Line 2). The grammar is passive, but the anxiety of the question suggests someone is, or should be, responsible for making sure the goats have flowing, drinkable water. The speaker, in the next question, wonders if the goats will “huddle together” (Line 3) for warmth. In the imaginations of both the speaker and the reader, 300 goats—an abstract—becomes an intimate few in physical proximity.