as a child

as
a
child ...

on a shining
summer's day,

I chased after
a woolly ewe
in the pasture,

playing

I let her stop
to rest,
then hounded her
again

till

at last
she lolled on
her side

and would not---

would not,
could not---

rise

so I
poked at her
with my foot,
pulled at

her
ears

she breathed,
labored heavy,

not caring

I
left bored,
only
later to return

she
lay flat,
still,

immobile,
not moving,

just
then not
breathing

I
left to play
elsewhere

hours later
Grampa asked
about the sheep,

asked
if I knew
how and when
she died,

sought
from me
honest
answers

to his questions

I
said no,
that
I had nothing---

not
a thing
at all---

to do with her