My hands drift over his velvety face
White ribbon river bordered by scarlet Nevada sand
And wise eyes set for a nine year eternity
That reverberate:
‘Yes, I know –
I’ve always known.’
His ears flick forward and backward again
To acknowledge me
And the invisible sounds of mice
Scurrying through rafters, followed closely by angry toms
Or maybe the scuffle of a minor disagreement
A quarter mile away (or farther)
And when they get bored of straining they hang at lazy angles
His breath calm and deep
A memoir fragment of hot summer dates
With different love and different fire
Warm comforting air on my face
At one with him before anything begins
He shifts his weight
Shimmering skin rippled momentarily
Heavy muscle moved eloquently on biological strings
Hollow hooves reverberating an empty clipping sound
And the metal scrape of shoes
He exhales again
As if bored with our silent conversation
To nag at me:
‘Are we going or not?’
Metal clinks again at his impatience –
This time the bit and the irons jingle
As I pull myself up I think I see him smile.
Wind knots my hair and tangles it around my face
I’ve never felt more alive.
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