And Over the Bridge

Concentration. Wire matting can deflect,
Catch my front wheel.
Now I’m over the bridge.
Solitude, space and the soft crunch
Of tyres on gravel.

Nearby a slow and steady throbbing.
Now I see it, a tractor,
Towing some ungainly device,
But useful I’m sure
Only to be seen in a farm paddock

A dog barks.
Birdcalls – birdsounds come in flocks too.

Slow motion impressionism,
Cattle grazing in sunshine.
Cattle accustomed to cyclists.

Why do they bunch, sleep together?
And always the odd one out,
Munching, happily munching
Lost in bovine existential thoughts.