A flock of sheep
gather at the stream for water.
A cloud moves shade
across a treeless hillside.
A dirt road led me to this scene.
My ears sort through sounds to hear wool grow.
Two Sandhill cranes pass overhead,
circle and land in the field.
The stream passes into a culvert
and under the dirt road.
It emerges on the other side
in a flat place with rushes and cattails.
A blackbird sings the flock over
to where I stand at the fence.
Their black faces rise up and they bleat.
I hear their wool stretch and yawn.
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 