… inflated, a fiver, Made in Spain, bought

with candy floss and a fluorescent snake;

harness, saddle, accoutrements in red

and gold with tassels; caparisoned as if

for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna

or the corrida; forever prancing

with a winsome, vulnerable chestnut eye

but, though deflating, still too big for the long

drive south so left with us for safe keeping…

It rides unseen in the gazebo – secure

from downpours or gusts or jackdaws – becoming

one dimensional. Perhaps we will

frame it as a keepsake.