4 Chusan

The prairie was still cool,

and the wagon slept like a wooden beast.

Soul stepped out first,

looked at the horizon stitching the day together,

and said only: Chusan 4.

A short word,

but strong enough to make the reins tremble:

it is the code the four Custodians use

when the Square must tighten

before a new crossing.

The horses felt it like an order in the blood

and neighed together,

ready to move even though no one had given the signal yet.

Teck, who knew that kind of vibration well,

slipped into the tent and put on the second coffee.

“If it’s Chusan 4,” he thought,

“then today we go far.”

The smell of coffee blended with the wind,

and the day, like a young animal,

began to rise on its legs.