morning coolness
the meadow holds the shape
of a deer
sky clearing…
a wren wipes its bill
on a fence nail
night bus…
a handprint fills
with moonlight
late summer heat…
a cow knee-deep
in the irrigation ditch
midges
in the cowshed doorway
deepening drought
mist burnt back
a horse grazing
at the edge of the floodplain
magnolia scent…
sunlight in the hairs
along my son’s ear
faint south wind
a twitch of muscle
in the bull’s shoulder
midsummer dusk
a boy rides the farm gate
shut
river bridge the distance of my prayer