KERRIN P. SHARPE

 

A Possible Journey

 
the deer believes 
words are enclosures 
 
even weather forecasts 
with their ridges 
 
of high pressure 
make wire fences 
 
from the Bambi 
school of music 
 
the deer watches 
soccer crooning 
 
chase chase with a 
grey industrial tongue 
 
he prefers the art 
of tree grafting 
 
eating raw apples 
the rattle of stars 
 

The Train Wakes Horses

 
stolen drugged horses 
dragging metal carts 
down to the sea 
their arteries angry salt 
 
the rusty wheels 
of runaway horses 
 
the steel ribs of ponies 
empty stables 
playing knucklebones 
with pipes and ladders 
 
the forgotten headlights 
of lost horses 
dancing with lemons 
forever astonished 
 
you can just see 
the farm stay entrance 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerrin P. Sharpe is a teacher of creative writing. She has recently published in Best NZ Poems 08Turbine 07SnorkelBravadoTakaheNZ ListenerPoetry NZJuncturesSport and The Press. ‘A Possible Journey‘: one morning I was startled to find a deer’s head impaled on an iron fence. I tried to write a poem that would put the deer back where he belonged. ‘The Train Wakes Horses‘ was written on the train between Pictonand Christchurch in response to fields of horses fleeing the train.