As if struck by lightning, the horse
died; a clean and horrible quiet. No
diagnosis, no cure, no negotiation.
The reluctant but permanent truth
that no amount of flapping emotion
can change. Held long in the instant
of being cleaved in two, stripped
bare in the flash of change. Not
touching the dry ground underfoot.
Not feeling the rope in hand. Not
knowing the direction home, having
already become someone else.
…
Anna Blake for Relaxed & Forward
Want more from this horse trainer who writes poetry? Join us at The Barn, our online training group with video sharing, audio blogs, live chats with Anna, and so much more. Or go to annablake.com to schedule a live consultation or lesson, subscribe for email delivery of this blog, see the Clinic Schedule or ask a question about the art and science of working with horses.
Stunning, Anna. A loss of your horse?
Nuala
Not all the horse poems are about horses, not all that I write is in current time. Thank you, Nuala
Raw heartbreak, takes the breath away. Yes, absolutely cleaved in two. Accept that there is no balm for the brutality and cling to what you give, not what is taken away. Please know that you don’t ache alone.
May I dare to compare the compassion that makes us vulnerable to the trust that makes the horse vulnerable? Both risky ventures.
We are forever entwined. I hope.
Thanks, Sue Ann
“The reluctant but permanent truth that no amount of flapping emotion can change.” Powerful, Anna. We are so intrigued and devastated by it.
I cant stop hearing Jimmy Cliff’s ” Sitting in Limbo” song.this morning.
Thanks, Sarah. What a time, in between past and future…(Jimmy singing here now, too. Bliss.)
Thank you so much Anna, your poems really touch my heart.
Thanks for reading along, Rachel.
Sam Hunt’s beautifully crafted, generous and joyful video for “Hard to Forget” showed up the weekend I learned we’d lost Bill Withers, and I’d have to, as John Prine’s widow would say only a few days later “find a way to be in the world without him”. I had to go watch it again before I could write you my thanks.
Rocky road these days, take care, Mark.
Anna, I’m so far behind on reading your writings, and at a time I need them more than ever. My work with our local Covid response leaves me “cleaved in two”. Being at an age where I have seen many crisis, I thought I would tolerate the current one with grace. It’s a struggle. Thank you for validating feelings of finality and helplessness.
Thank you so much for what you do. I wish I could volunteer my shoulder to punch when you see posts about protesters. We love you, Laurie.