I found the animals roaming on the same hill
where I left them
becoming frustrated
by my lack of proficiency
in leading and containing them.
These tasks seemed too distinct
to accomplish at the same time,
each one requiring a whole mind.
I knew they were my animals
because they made me anxious
in all the familiar ways.
I felt the need to love them
though there was no love in me at the moment,
only the feeling of needing to feel so, and I wished then
to lie down with them for a while to see
if they would accept me in solitude or if
I would accept myself in that same solitude
among them and if in that way
like I had promised I could learn then
how finally to keep track of their roaming.
