Leathery, wry, and rough
Jaw full of chaw, and slits
For eyes- - - This guy is tough.
He climbs the slatted fence
Pulls himself atop and sits,
Tilts back his cowboy hat.
Stained with sweat below
the crown, and wipes a dirty
Sleeve across his brow.
Then pulls the hat down tight
Caresses up the sides
and spits into the dirt,
A benediction.
Vision narrower still
The man guards the beast,
There's weight enough to kill.
Bone and muscle enough to kill
Bone and muscle fit a least
To tear a man apart.
The cowboy sniffs and hitches at
His pants. Himself, all heart
and gristly, he watches as
the hands outside the chute
Prepare the sacrificial act,
Then he moves, swerving up
and into place, he pricks the
Braham's bullish pride.
The gate swings open free and
Screams begin to sanctify
Their pitching tortured ride.
by: Gary Peterson