contentment

we can make that ground better, he says. that’s weeping love grass, he says, while horseback on Hawkeye. great names, I say. good eye spotting rye, plantain grass is good for mosquito bites and dermatitis. funny, we say, that we’ve got everything we need and god knew it. ranchers at the diner say there were 3 rattlesnakes in the feeder that morning over their eggs and bacon and buttered toast. some say a lot to each other over breakfast, others chew slow and alone.

he took away my arms and my legs and my fear. as he threw his arms straight up overhead, two birds flew nearly between them as he let the horse find the straight line. always looking to turn the horse loose.

grazer imprints in the ground help water get back into the aquifers; horse feet aerate the ground that works the horses, that work the cattle, that are working us. and we get to do it horseback. many birds, one stone, i say, while he smiles on Hawkeye.

the good news is! the seeds can stay in the ground and the turnips wait for just the right amount of rain. I tell Joe he should win some goldfish to put in his trough.