Long in the tooth, people say. Gray hairs dusting his temple, this gelding plays the part of good uncle, passers-by tickle his nose to show their familiarity, unaware of of the memory that kind of touch brings this stoic gelding who remembers too far back, too sad a time. Past his prime, people say. … 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
His back is not solid, nerves run between banks of muscle, each vertebra linked to the next, from the base of his skull to the end of his tail. A horse’s strength is rhythm, each hoof initiating a wave when it takes to the air, a surge of energy rolling up through his hind, my … 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
Haunted by her hooves, jagged edges tilting her balance, she stood in filth, wooden pallets cobbled into a pen. Remembering her coarse hair, the shadows cast by each rib. No act of blunt cruelty did this, it was willful indifference one average day after another. Looking at her, an ache grows behind my eye … Read more
As soon as the sun is a quarter high…