he remembers when he was a child and would
ride the carousel. every time it spun around, there
was his mom -
watching and waving and smiling.
it's like that, but darker.
he thought he was on a real horse. all stamping hooves,
taught muscles, flowing mane. but the creature he
finds himself astride is just plastic. there's a shine in
its eye, but it's just the gleam of polished artificiality.
the horse is hung on a pole and it's fitting because
he's been impaled too.
so they gallop their laps in a gentle cresting and
falling in time to the lullabies and every time they
pass by the streetlamp, he can see the sadness
waiting for him -
watching and waving and smiling