The Incident on the Farm with the Horse

1.

every beast has a belly
a filly a foal a folly

when she bends over
licking the afterbirth
off the lifeless mass

when the farmer finds her
standing over the body
unwilling to move

and when she protectively
charges the old man
driving him to ground

a gentle breeze swells
across the canyon
heavy with the scent of pine

burnt by a hot sun
now receeding to night

burnt by the sun
the night's brackish kiss

2.

last he woke in a hospital
at his daughter's side
as she slept

the breathing apparatus sung
metallic notes

rays of light slowly crept
across the musky yellow walls
gradually filling the small room

the heat was heavy
like a deep sigh
from an ancient dream

3.

it was lucid and vacant then
nothing like the silence
of this empty bedside