No!
Sofia Gubaidulina
Does the storm whistle?
Does a little mite nag?
Do the hoots
of owls
resound from high in the tower?
No!
It is the end of the gallows'
thick noose,
groaning,
as if it were
in the middle of a gallop,
an exhausted mare, parched with thirst,
headed toward the nearest trough
(which might be quite far away).