The Rustler

by oosh

July 2000 / January 2001

In this pub, the herd drinks beer.
Adrift from the cheerful, checkered, tweedy herd,
Mournfully expensive in city stripes,
Symbolic of mind's hard-won treasury,
I hope I look worth stealing.
Across the rim of my carefully-angled glass
Through the door-pane, I see you dismount;
See the purposeful, skin-tight riding breeches
Stride across the car-park;
Your gaze upon that door's dark eye:
You know I am here, waiting.
And in that moment, there stampedes through my brain
The name of a movie actor - cowboy or cowgirl?
Too fast to see, lost in a whinny,
Vanished in the dust-cloud of memory.
Your stylish, well-cut cowgirl shirt
Bears no star upon its breast;
And, to compound your lawlessness,
You pluck it out from your belt,
Tease me with your tender waist.
No need to remember your whip:
For you I fling the door wide;
Head me off, round me up -
My smile, your saddle;
Your eyes are spurs.