Mark Time

Sequence of horses—negatives of actual geldings

foundering near the aqueduct. Clinical, and pastoral.

Sick horses swim out for China

but it’s a performance. And it always fails. They’re opposed,

the geldings, to cowboys.

Secret gelding speech—something far inside them

beckoning to deer for comfort.

The horses are pristine, with no end. Stallions cakewalk

with other stallions

to choose which. The foamiest horses let

their riders off. Just let everyone be.

Let anyone bring

their lines to the lake and the horses don’t swim past.

Instead they disguise, literally disguise

each other because the runners know that comparison

is violent. Then

buckers watch the geyser become a conceit.