12-22-2014, 04:03 AM
A young girl, limping
along the city street towards me
wobbles legs and ankles
like a new-born foal.
Her sandals'
inches-thick wooden soles
almost hobble her, so she takes
tiny steps and teeters
at the start of each one,
testing the surface.
Three men working
in a hole in the road
all look up at once,
gazes locked on her,
their web of wires ignored.
Her walk mimics a wounded animal,
has alerted some cortical reflex
in the predator brain.
Around her, men turn to stare
and they’re spiders, tensed to watch
while the butterfly with damp wings
struggles at the surface.
a young girl limps first draft
along the city street towards me
all legs and wobbly ankles, like a foal
new-born;
her sandals, with their inches-think soles
of clunky wood
almost hobble her, so her steps are tiny
and she teeters at the start of each one,
testing the surface
three men working in a hole in the road
all look up at once, all gazes locked
on her, their web of wires ignored
her walk mimics
a wounded animal, has alerted
some cortical reflex in the predator brain
all around me, men turn to stare
and they’re all spiders, tensed
to watch the butterfly with damp wings
struggle against the surface
along the city street towards me
wobbles legs and ankles
like a new-born foal.
Her sandals'
inches-thick wooden soles
almost hobble her, so she takes
tiny steps and teeters
at the start of each one,
testing the surface.
Three men working
in a hole in the road
all look up at once,
gazes locked on her,
their web of wires ignored.
Her walk mimics a wounded animal,
has alerted some cortical reflex
in the predator brain.
Around her, men turn to stare
and they’re spiders, tensed to watch
while the butterfly with damp wings
struggles at the surface.
a young girl limps first draft
along the city street towards me
all legs and wobbly ankles, like a foal
new-born;
her sandals, with their inches-think soles
of clunky wood
almost hobble her, so her steps are tiny
and she teeters at the start of each one,
testing the surface
three men working in a hole in the road
all look up at once, all gazes locked
on her, their web of wires ignored
her walk mimics
a wounded animal, has alerted
some cortical reflex in the predator brain
all around me, men turn to stare
and they’re all spiders, tensed
to watch the butterfly with damp wings
struggle against the surface