The Barn

The fallow barn began to sink into itself--

first the steep pitch over the loading chute,

then the lean-to for hand-fed calves. Stanchion

head rails split, supports wobbled. The concrete

floor-trough for washing out manure alligatored

and misaligned itself. The center beam sagged

as if sky brought its weight to bear

on the side of subdivision and construction companies.

When the first house was built on ranch land,

the developers made a killing: the final cracking

gasp of the barn falling to its knees.

Muriel Zeller

c 2001