resident fox
outside this house
the fox
caught himself
shameful to be seen
the magician’s slender snout
black as lustrous coal
red fur burning needles
dipped in invisible black
a cage that holds lightning
brought to earth
the vanity of gods
vulnerable after all
to human vanity
we do not feed him,
not even scraps
but when he gazes at visitors
he thrives,
the prisoner who owns the jail
his tail lifts with the whisper of ambition
the farmer
the farmer asked his friend
to bring his backhoe
as the horse would not rise,
not after 32 years which in horse years
is long enough unless it is your 32 years
two vets came
both women
and if it must be done
than they would be the ones
any of us would want
Vestal Virgins in sneakers
with quiet soles
but one of them forgot the thing
that brings the last sleep
so the receptionist was on her way
when a miracle happened
the horse flailed his legs
kicked the stable as if he had come
to the last door
and stood up
and everyone was surprised
though perhaps they shouldn’t have been
the grave pit is in the lower field
between my neighbor’s land
and mine
open, even when it rains
and grass grows to the edge
until it doesn’t
every day since then I ask
and the answer remains
“still living”
and
“a miracle”
I cannot look in his face
this lovely man who loves horses
they will bury him
yes, alongside