I drove past
a herd of antelope
today–
strong, free, proud.
Spirit of the West.
funny thing, though
these antelope
these antelope they stood
on a road, black pavement.
antelope, standing quietly.
on a road.
but wait: yesterday
i drove past
a crew of pavers.
hardened, brown, sweltering in the sun.
a new road for
a new subdivision
a field of grass
brown, green and waving
in the warm, wyoming wind.
the eye follows the fence
to the horizon. barbed wire.
except where it breaks:
an entrance for a new road.
what is this? so hard,
black, smooth, unnatural.
will our grass grow here?
can we run here now?
will we be pushed out?
their questions, or
mine. as I drove past
a herd of antelope today
standing (perhaps bewildered)
on a new, black road
for a new sub-division.
