That horse, the body ~

it pricks up its ears at the sound
of trains or thunder

its tail flickers like a flame
caught in a doorway of grass

it quickens at the sight of water
and braces for the jab 

of a heel or knee in the space
beneath its muscular heart

it stands in the dreaming rain
and steams in the sun, waiting

for the nettle-sting of flies,
the smell of sugar hiding in a hand