The Jockeys

have gone so far

afield they’ve forgotten

the race

no longer

compelling

with spur & whip

glistening steeds to full

gallop

nares flaring

toward a distant

indiscernible finish                 

they ride along

at a leisurely gait

through golden

wildflowers

bowing in the breeze

of hooves

the town

with its farms

& houses

nestled together

as one against

a backdrop

                   of blue

mountains barely

distinguishable

from sky 

Matt Morris is the author of Nearing Narcoma, winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Award, (selected by Joy Harjo) and Walking in Chicago with a Suitcase in My Hand, published by Knut House Press.  His poems have appeared in various magazines and anthologies.