Michael Wilkinson
Break
A bell
rises above the fields,
dust settles at their feet,
a hoe falls, clatters.
She twists a stem of grass,
takes it between her teeth,
sits between his legs,
leans back against him.
A distant stream twists over pebbles,
murmurs its voice
under the song of a lark,
the drone of a plane high above.
The weight of his hand
on her bare arm.
She traces a line
along the dog’s brow,
down its nose, cups its jaw, stares
into its eyes.
The faded bark of dogs,
hers lifts an ear but does not move from her gaze.
Her father breaks bread, cheese.
She lets go the dog,
takes the cheese from his fingers,
takes his bottle of beer,
uncorks it, swigs,
eyes in his.
He waits,
enjoys the weight of those eyes
half lidded on the tepid beer,
drank beyond thirst
in the same measured swank as once her mother
before he pulled the bottle from her mouth,
let it thud, empty, on the bare hard path.
Page(s) 48-49
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