unbirth
a
yellow steel cage
rolls
by at sunset
sharp
white tractor beams
light the slow advance
of
an inevitable machine
turning
under corn
left
over winter
most
of what came up
that
dry season
never
made market
some
was cut for feed
the
rest left standing
for
deer and birdsong
in
this quiet valleyonce green leaves
needed
summer rain
but
autumn winds
rustled
thin gold shafts
and
late in December
buck
and doe
scratched
for food
among grey-yellow stalks
the
verdict
carried
out tonight
in
a mechanical rumble
I
hear the final rattle
of
life not appreciated
*
Words and image by Tullio DeSantis, 2012.
*