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A Single Sheep, One Cow

Jerry Bradley

 

in a day you can reach new worlds
on strings of bright beads, roads 
stretching behind the horizon's neck 
and glimpse game birds in shivery quadrilles 
hives of bees, memorials to pigs and forgotten 
breeds 
dogs and parcels of geese stammering 

I hunt for you in the alphabet 
each letter burdened with sound 
it is an abecedarian game we play 
what does the sheep say? 
the cow? 

as we pass familiar shapes 
our recognition forever pointing 
us toward words 
until we think of death 

alone in our species 
and terrified 
we wonder when the road turned? 
how? 

where are you? 
and what does your heart 
say now?