after Tom Roberts

Holding the ram in awkward embrace,
he comprehends gravity while watching
the shearers charge through their task.

Wool on the floor,
and somewhere, off stage.
the wool tables. A young rouseabout

hugs a cloud of oily fleece to his breast,
rushes past. Soon he will throw it aloft
and watch as its blanket settles over the slats.

And the man has his hand
at the sheep’s throat: this is life
for both of them. His other arm

draped under the ram’s arm tickles
the soft belly.
This is life for both of them.

Kate Middleton