Second Place in Kentucky

For Eight Bells

The first horse roared across the line
A little man on his back
After that, the second horse came,
But his little man heard the worst sound
That a little man on a horse can hear:
Popping

Because when you are a horse
Going certain speeds,
Your desire to stop
Can become even stronger
Than your own front legs
Breaking
Like brown beer bottles

Women wearing hats
And men with cigars
Cheered or sighed
Depending on their wager

The cork popped
From the champion’s champagne
When we saw second place in Kentucky:
Two busted legs and a bullet to the brain