I would show you the adolescent Canada geese on the pond. Better behaved than we ever would have been, they stay close, like Catholic school girls in prim uniforms between their parents in church. We would give them names like Cecelia and Mary Margaret and Bridget, us standing by the donkey, scratching his ears … Read more
His swayed back so warm in the late afternoon but he doesn’t lie down. His shoulders bear his weight without rest. When predators come, he can’t be helpless to run, not that his buckled knees could carry him far. He ambles in for his dinner alfalfa, belly soft, and while the other horses tuck … Read more
The draft horses galloped out of the barn and down the fence line, stood on their hind legs, pawing the air with teeth bared, then threw their heads down, stretched low to nip at each other’s hooves as the thunder whispered to a boom. Flashing violence, the clouds blew the sky a greenish purple, … Read more
One draws attention, standing by a tolerant gelding and playing the horse whisperer, tickling withers, teasing his whiskery muzzle. Passive violence in the guise of a scratch, demanding an involuntary response ripped with conflict, pulsing with agitation. One demands sweaty perfection, the mare never exactly good enough, but rewarded at last, one ringing slap, … Read more
Skeletal power poles from the wind turbines out east litter the view of the mountains, splintering the sunset. New construction treads closer, tract homes and fast food. This farm was never announced by miles of white vinyl fencing, just a mailbox at the end of the driveway. There are mismatched fence panels, some white, some … Read more
The storm came so late that shedding season was done, the horse’s coats already thin and slick. So late there were bright leaves on the trees sheltering hatchlings in nests. So late the tank heaters were unplugged and packed away, just days before. Superstition says that’s when storms hit even if it’s too warm to … Read more
She knows my presence before I see her. Under the tree in the far corner of the pasture, no real shade but she stands there, hip cocked at rest, a prairie breeze weaving her tail. Approaching her slowly, regretting what I am but trying to downplay the plain truth, walking an arc, pausing. Has … Read more
He said show her who’s boss. Standing with her head in the corner and hooves nervous on the straw, a wild-eyed, pregnant pinto pony, no taller than the quiet girl in a boy’s t-shirt. The dad said she has to respect you, setting them up for a fight. He goaded the girl forward, her … Read more
The sea’s nature is change, waves rolling one on top of the last, spent flat to the sand, then sliding underneath, falling back as other waves arise in a circle unbroken. Colors blend, bright next to dark, around and under, tides keeping the rhythm. Let them wash over and then seep away, unable to … Read more
Across the long diagonal to the west corner of the dry lot, he’s on the far side of the herd, barely moving as he shifts weight from one hoof to the other, his neck stretched long, muzzle to the sandy ground. He pretends to eat what’s not there, so he can watch me softly. He … Read more
that’s right…
Then, from now.
In the dark…
Journaling as a training aid?
As soon as the sun is a quarter high…
Training/Life
Lines not crossed.
stoic