sport of kings
pull!
take a bead, pivot
swing behind the clay!
follow… follow… follow…
squeeze…
now!
air thunder
time split by gunfire
echo tree and sky
clouds shiver, shake loose
a spittle of rain
grey smoke from a cracked gun
shotgun shell, powder hot
earth’s breath rushes back
wind on tufts of grass
soothes the fierce flash
lightning jolt,
the fractured instant
of ultimate power
over life and death.
clay pigeons,
the sport of kings.
a refined passion, they say,
distant from the bloody hunt,
those scenes of primal bloodshed
carried like a gene
in body memory.
~ Kathie Sutherland
Kathie Sutherland’s word paintings have appeared in several Edmonton Stroll of Poet’s yearly anthologies, on the Women-of-Heart website, once in CV2, and in cards for friends. She lives, writes and celebrates the art of journaling from her home in Fort Saskatchewan.
Leave a Reply