Rider
Beast of war nuzzles past the muzzle at a shaft of grain
The rider dismounts alongside her to get rid of the pain
Lowering the muzzle, the warhorse nibbles at the stalk
Premonition of battle while scouting a roadblock
The steed has more sense than half the army down the road
Gorging themselves on spoils ‘til their stomachs explode
Report it right
Find the weakness
Scout out lookouts
Remain sleepless
Distracted, tired, sun sets in a meadow like home in June
Below the horizon, wild stallions race to his beloved’s tune
The smell of sweet food billows from a two door shack
Was it three doors? It’s been too long. Will he ever make it back?
The horse strikes a firm hoof, breaking a cracked rock
The signal, someone’s close, breath deep to fight the shock
Remember it
Draw the blade slow
Slip into the darkness
Let no one know
Remain downwind
Cover your tracks
Never lose sight
Sneak to the back
Two patrolmen approach the rider’s steed with crossbows drawn
“Good,” whispers the rider, they’ve only sent untrained pawns
He circles crouched from bush to the tree with prepared attack
The guards search the horse's bag, but commotion calls them back
“They got lucky this time,” said the rider, spying from a tree
A moment later and he would have handed them death’s door’s key
Fight the rush
Beat the thrill
March quickly
Down a hill
Moving will help
When you’re tired
Keep you alive
When the job’s required
Report it right
Find the weakness
Scout for lookouts
Remain sleepless
Copyright © 2020 by Matt Antis. Originally published in Poet’s Guild’s Poem-A-Day on December 18, 2020, by Ink Jot Kingdom.
