an injured leg
an ominous break
the inevitable steps
a vet must take
adrenaline runs wild
with anguish and stress
the only relief
in a wrangler’s caress
first needle, he falls
with wild, uncertain eyes
then a fatal, final injection
until his strong heartbeat dies
only broken hearts
after the quieted storm
tears fall down
on his neck still warm
we’ll miss his life
his life he shared with all
there are new hoofbeats in heaven
here an unused saddle,
an empty stall
the herd diminished
as Frino dies
and a ranch is sanctified
by the tears
from a wrangler’s eyes
Brooks Bradbury 