A Song About Horses

I was a rafter swallowed by a ceiling.
I was a parking meter spilling out its coins.

I took a number at the post office.
I recited Al-Fatiha inside of Ar Rawdah.

I hid as a cloud
parceled by the sunlight.

I jumped fences and a fountain.
I kept quiet like a night.

I yelled as a train ripping through the station.
I yelled for you to yank me from my sleep.

You soothed me with a song about horses.
You pressed my hand to your stomach.

Ryan Mattern

Ryan Mattern

Ryan Mattern holds a BA in Creative Writing from CSUSB and MA in English from UC Davis. He is the recipient of the Felix Valdez Award for Short Fiction. His work has appeared in Crazyhorse, Ghost Town