Donkeys
In
Willowra
languorous
donkeys make their way
along
the paved roads and unsealed streets,
chomping
on their grassy tucker.
They
move at an easy pace.
Sometimes
they stroll across invisible boundaries,
disturbing
packs of proprietorial dogs
These
rouse themselves from shaded slumber,
to
dustily defend their family’s territory
by
chasing the offending beasts away.
The
two-legged inhabitants of this community,
unlike
their canine companions,
mostly
leave the donkeys alone.
Like
all of their kind,
the
donkeys of Willowra
prefer
a quiet life.
In
Bethpage, near Jerusalem,
the
colt of a donkey was, for a time,
wrenched
from its stillness
and
prevailed upon to carry a man into the city.
The
procession was noisy,
with
flourished cloaks and branches
thrown excitedly upon the road
in
front of the shy, equine creature;
all
the way to the temple.
A
few hours later it was all over.
The
colt was dismissed
and
allowed to return to his gentle ruminations.
For
the man who rode him,
the
ruckus had just begun.
©
Ken Rookes 2015.
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