Design for an Equestrian Monument circa 1485-8 Leonardo Da Vinci
the outline of a man
beneath the horse’s raised forelegs
is inexact as though accuracy no longer matters
for the vanquished, or maybe
it’s the irrelevance of clear rendition
for those entering the invisible.
either way, the animal, head canted to one side,
gazes elsewhere while the rider prepares
to strike again with stick or sword—
violence coiled inside the defined muscles
of torso and thighs.
diagonal lines that splay across
the bodies of horse, rider, and the dying
might be rays from a lightless sun.
or perhaps black threads of time that stitch
together victor and victim
along with the innocent—
the history of force
sensed as a single synchronic act.
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Laura Ann Reed is the author of the chapbook Homage to Kafka (Poetry Box, 2025). Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared or is forthcoming in the Laurel Review and wildness, among other journals, as well as in nine anthologies including Poetry of Presence II (Grayson Books, 2023) and The Wonder of Small Things (Storey Publishing, 2023) Reed holds master’s degrees in clinical psychology and performing arts. https://lauraannreed.net/
Lightwood 