The saddle slides a bit from side to side.
Dismount and, yanking, tighten leather seat.
Then back up, sharp-toed soles into stirrups slide.
Grass long stiff, dusty dirt, smooth stones. The beat
of clip clop you don’t stop, dark mane jostling.
I thought I’d stay and farm, a married man.
But she thought no; so I go whistling.
She’s spared us both Me trying best I can
while, flailing, failing her and all our dreams.
Perhaps that’s what’s happening. The horse
is glad to stretch for greener lands, richer schemes.
I’m less enthused, yet go hoping this course
is best for all. My horse knows the way,
A]and I see we can no longer stay.
So goodbye river wide and valley deep.
And farewell woman I’d wished to keep.
I’m letting my horse trot us away.
That’s all I can say.

Except:
life is strange
we know little
and understand less
Yet Love abides
and sweeps us all along
upon
her soft white
cloud-fluff wings

…

Jostling Jack of Jericho
He rode all day though he didn’t know
real from imaginary
a little from very very
unlikely from for sure
tread lightly from don’t worry

Jostling Jack of Jericho
gets in Joshua’s way and down he goes
But Joshua never fit the battle of Jericho
T’was propaganda rattled off all for show
by some scribe in Judah long past the facts
whatever they’d been, back when facts were acts

Jostling Jack of Jericho
talks with God though he cannot know
what’s God and what’s just some bush
caught on fire and won’t you come push
us up higher?

Higher and higher until we’re ready to leap
into the sand or past to the grass green and deep
Higher and higher up to the sky
until we scream Yes though can’t say why,
having plucked certainty over accuracy
and annihilating expansion above poetry

Author: AW
Editor: BW
Copyright: AMW