Loose gravel

The crack of road- as wind is let through,
        Hushed pebbles, sweating in
Patina heat. Mumbling of tire rut,

Of dead horse track. Under foot-
It snaps like dried husk.

My feet- trail sore - like whipped sands,
Mouthful of sky. Road made of clay-

Where grackles spit, sputter over loose feather- over cowhide

Over my sweat lifting like a mist-
As rock is smashed deeper into the earth.

-joseph delgado