The Horse’s Mouth

I know     I see     I feel
even with blinders on
from the corner of my eye
the surface of my skin
and hollow of my soul
the whip and spur
the bridal and the bit
as if I am just a beast
of their burdens
hauling their loads
and racing forever around
their endless tracks.

They think
that I can never feel
indignity or pain
as just another animal
to be used
in the lives that
that they would live.

And yet I see    I feel
I know
even with blinders on
the truth
of why I was ever bred
to run the steeplechase
for them.