January 2020
Bio Note:
Charlene is my alter-ego (which my husband would claim is not so alter). She has a lot to say, and when I’m not listening to her, I’m a
community college English professor. You can find me at www.laurelpeterson.com.
At the Rodeo: Sheep/Dog Trials
The dog streaks, a living bullet toward its target,
four sheep huddled at the paddock’s far end,
thrust into this world, babes
at the mercy of man, whistle, dog.
The dog’s job is to scare them
around the trainer,
through the fence, by the barn,
through the chute
and into the paddock.
New to this, Charlene’s not sure whose side
she’s on, but she thinks it’s the sheep’s.
That dog is a bully.
Two weeks later, she’s herded
into the living room by a friend’s sheep dog.
He tracks her steps to the bathroom,
guards the door until she steps out.
She is no match for him.
She resents, perhaps like sheep, not being left
to eat, unbothered
by worldly concerns like wolves and darkness.
©2020 Laurel Peterson
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