Eyeing me oh so warily,
as I enter his pasture, a newborn
brown colt skitters backward.
He wears no tether,
He is free.

Slowly, I pull 
my hand from behind
my back, revealing a red
Empire apple, fresh from
our nearby orchard.

Balancing Empire
lightly on open palm,
I extend my hand.
Colt sniffs its sweetness.
Still wary, he shuffles

toward me, gaze fixed on the prize.
I remain motionless.
His breath warms my palm.
He snuffles, sniffles
then, lips parted, teeth bared,

grasps that apple in his teeth,
chomps, swallows, 
nuzzles my shoulder.
He wears no tether.
The choice was his.
                        

to lift a cup of tea with you
to talk about 
nothing important.
When I can spend
my mornings helping 
others,
my afternoon
daydreaming of what
I can do next--
when we both can laugh 
as we lift that cup of tea,
that’s when I am free.