Gee
haw
whoa
the whinny then
the leather strap
across the old
mare’s steaming rump:
sledge the
boulder, pull the stump,
twitch the log
and split the sod,
make the offering
to God
sharing intimate
discourse—
intelligence and
muscle force.
Drag marks in the
open snow
prove what each
alone can’t know:
earth is weighty,
days are long,
and we are either
smart or strong
(not both). Our deeds, like words, will tell:
we love our work,
we do it well.