Belly spooks at barker’s voice.
Heart thrashes
like mink fights snare,
broken bird flails
between coyote’s teeth.
A thousand bullet-sharp eyes,
double-barrelled faces,
thousand lungs drum-taut
with held breath.
Swallow fear – the boiled egg
whole in your throat –
pin it deep inside.
Hold the skittish calf,
knee firm on its heaving side,
palm gently threatening
its life-pulse.
2 comments:
"the boiled egg/whole in your throat" is bang on.
I wondered about "like mink fights snare"-- feels too slow for what the words actually convey. Maybe "like mink in a snare" or something like that?
I love the third stanza.
I wonder if the first stanza might flow more easily if it was actually a bit less tight..?
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