THE APPOINTMENT, 1857

   A crowd is gathered around a tall tree,

    A man stands on the back of a wagon.

            Shouts and jeers

            Snap of buggy whip

            Creak of wooden wheel . . .

    As horses leap forward

    And the rope suddenly tighten around my neck!

            Instant pain

            snapping backbone

            Transitional consciousness

               And then . . .

                  Exhilaration!

                     I'm free!

    From a height I watch the crowd disperse,

    The body slowly swing back and forth . . .

              A pang of loss . . .

                  A sudden awareness . . .

                      I miss my feet!

                                          12 Oct 78