.
.
.
The work-horse god
the hearse: an old
station wagon.
rust on its flank
brown as horses
at pasture
and prayers
being told
to a working
horse god.
the man in the casket
raised careful
as matchsticks
and shoulders to folded
back seats. then shots
at the sky
for his time
as a captain. rifleshot
steaming.
the stink
of exhaust.
.
.
About the Author: DS Maolalai has been nominated four times for Best of the Net and three times for the Pushcart Prize. His poetry has been released in two collections, “Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden” (Encircle Press, 2016) and “Sad Havoc Among the Birds” (Turas Press, 2019)
More by DS Maolalai:
Image Credit: C.S. Price “On The Range” (public domain)
As It Ought To Be 
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