Spanish wild horses,
black ones to the west,
white ones to the north,
sorrels to the east,
buckskins and bays to
the south.

Sienna brings the Spanish
wild horses to town for
story.

The Children of the Sun
tread the cobblestone
street to her shop across
the street from the printer

Leather firebuckets,
bellows, straps, harnesses,
and bags hang overhead,
the rich smell of leather
permeates her shop.

Bookbinder by trade,
Sienna sits and stitches
for six hours, ledger books
for The Children of the Sun
storywriters.

Twenty-eight steps in
making a blank book; 

A labyrinthe system of
folding and collating
pages, pages go to a
standing press. 

After Sienna's intricate hand
stitching, gluing, rounding,
and backing, establishing
the precise curvature of
the book's spine, attaching
the boards, trimming edges
in the press and plough,
finishing the book in calfskin,
sheepskin, or goatskin comes
the gold tooling.

The Children of the Sun
treat the leather with egg whites.

Sienna heats the 18th century
decorative stamps and presses
the finishing tool over gold leaf.

The Children of the Sun have been
left in the hands of unsturdy
parents, squandering their money
on rum.

Sienna gives The Children of the
Sun encouragement through
the Spanish horses and ledgers,
where such violence defies the
traditions of her people who have
always treated children gently.

The Children of the Sun are
bound for a straighter path,
free from misery and pain through
writing stories in the ledgers about
the Spanish horses.

Sienna's encouragement has
more effect on The Children of
the Sun than 40 floggings.

Spanish wild horses,
black ones to the west,
white ones to the north,
sorrels to the east,
buckskins and bays to
the south.


Copyright 2006 Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist, brainchild of Sage Sweetwater Creative Properties, flagship of Stone Creek Woman