Almost Five Seconds

Mustang and rider froze in mental snapshot.
It remains in sensory detail.

I smell rank manure
Littering the corral’s red soil.
Heavy in moisture-laden noon heat
Powdery dust suspending
Talcum-like
Lightly coating everyone
Everything.

Midday heat pressing down
Sheens of sweat glistening man and beast
Cotton shirts affixing to skin.

The melee of sounds were astonishing.
Cursing snorting grinding thundering.
Stringy muscles bulging in the mustang’s arched neck
Withers, torso and flanks
Etched in well-defined strength.
Straining just beneath his flesh
He snorted
Blustering and blowing mightily
In desperate buckings
He did all possible to master the corral
And dislodge his momentary rider.

Never had the mustang been ridden
And never would he be!

High atop the steed
Leaning forward
Eyes inches from the horse’s flying mane
One hand wrapping reins
The other twirling and flashing
Through the air.
The rider whooping
Hollering screaming
Responsive to rhythmic detonations
Propelled by the mustang's legs
Which never had more than two
On the ground at any moment.

The horse was a sunfish
Twisting in the air
Seeming to take flight
Then splashing again into whirling dust
Beating a tattoo with mighty hooves.

Watchers
Eyes shaded by wide brims of hats
Squatting atop the corral’s fence
Shouting over the combat they witnessed
As men unable to divert attention
From the struggle before them.

ONE! TWO! THREE SECONDS!
FOUR SECONDS AND FI....
It ended.

The thrown cowboy
Landing ingloriously upon hands and knees
In sprays of red dust
Grabbed his tossed hat
Then scrambled to safety.
The mustang
Satisfied with his win
Trotted calmly to a rail
To which he had been previously tied.

A little harmless cursing
Some soft laughing
And an “Aw Shucks, Jeb. Git ‘em next time.”

It was
Doubtlessly
The most amazing
Almost five seconds of life.

But I would rather gnaw cactus
Than ever saddle Sunfish
For a twirl around his corral kingdom.