Of poetry and hunting

Ka``a: a collection of poems

Author: Patrick J. Sammut Publisher: Self published, 2016 Extent: 71 pp.

Alfred Palma

A keen animal lover and strongly against all forms of cruelty to animals, I couldn’t but welcome this little book of poems, edited by poet Patrick J. Sammut, with contributions from another 15 well-established Maltese poets.

Kaċċa is a poetry book with a difference; it is the noble and concerted effort of a number of poets against the insensate abuse of hunting and the ultimate blasting of some of God’s most beautiful creatures off the sky, simply for the pleasure of destruction!

I have always abhorred all the so called ‘sport’ which involves the killing and torture of animals and birds, be it fox-hunting, bear-baiting, bullfights and, no less, abusive and irresponsible bird-hunting. Such ‘sport’ is utterly despicable, it causes untold suffering to these innocent creatures, simply to satisfy man’s primitive cruel tendencies.

Haply, my feelings have been shared by poet Patrick J. Sammut and the 15 other poets in Kaċċa, which is not just a collection of poems, but indeed one concerted heartfelt cry in protest for the atrocious way birds are very often irresponsibly blasted out of the sky during the hunting season.

The Preface by Sammut expounds clearly the purpose of this collection: that of raising awareness to the sufferings that so many beautiful birds go through as they follow their natural instincts across the sky; the senseless killing just for the fun of it, the irresponsible behaviour of egotistic hunters, who are ready to defy the law to satisfy their primitive instincts...

Here, poetry waxes at its most lyrical; all 16 poets, Mario Attard, Mario Azzopardi, Jonathan Balzan, Ġorġ Borg, Paul P. Borg, Stephen Cachia, Carmel G. Cauchi, Alfred Grech, John Mallia, Alfred Massa, Charles Mifsud, Patrick J. Sammut, Salv Sammut, Mark Schembri, Carmel Scicluna and Omar Seguna, in their own personal and varied poetic style, utterly condemn the hunting abuse in praise of all the birds that ultimately come to a miserable end at the hands of irresponsible hunters. These poets here are united in one big chorus of condemnation which the authorities my overlook, but which is nevertheless a truth to be reckoned with, a truth that only poetry can express.

Besides the poetic contributions, all of them delicately beautiful and sensitive to a degree, the book also contains a short biography of each poet and a good number of graphic black and white illustrations by Hilary Spiteri, who has also seen to the book’s setting and the elegant cover, which further enhances this collection, a must for all the denigrators of hunting in its worst forms and the lovers of very good lyrical poetry.