Apparition

A length of white irrigation pipe,
Lay at the edge of a green meadow,
Not far from an irrigation ditch.

It looked like a broken plastic straw
Fit for the mouth of a dinosaur.
It had been manufactured somewhere.

Someone purchased and brought it here
To route precious runoff to cattle,
But on this afternoon only deer

Took advantage of the green meadow,
And the old, overgrown ditch still ran
With snowmelt from off of the mesas

And no one had done anything yet
With the broken piece of PVC,
Although maybe some lives lived in it,

Possibly a snake, possibly mice.
Set yourself a watch. Refuse to leave
Until meaning shows its empty sleeve.