right hand pointing

Jake is a black-

tailed jackrabbit.

His belly is flush

against the sand

 

in his scrape

beneath a scrub

of mesquite.  The five

thousand stars

 

visible above him

are torches wielded

by a violent mob.

Hidden by but a wisp

 

of lacy leaves, he hears

the yelps of coyotes

drawing nearer with each

vicious tick of the clock.

 

He tries to move but can’t,

helplessly vulnerable

to the timeless, red rite

of devourment.