I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

2 April 2016

Horses

We used to hear the horses 
running for fun, 
all the whole length
of the high paddocks, 
then stop, wheel and return –
a rapid rumble, a drumming,
like sudden wind or even
the thunder of waves.
But we were far from the ocean.

Later we lived on the coast.
At night, outside our door
we heard the rhythmic roar 
of waves endlessly
rolling and breaking.
Not much like hooves, although
I remembered Arnold's line:
'the wild white horses foam and fret'.
Anyway, we were far then from the hills.















Image Copyright © Karin Gustafson

Written for April Poetry Month day 2 at 'imaginary garden with real toads': Still getting out of the starting gate: to be inspired by horses.

15 comments:

  1. This is great. I really like what you did with the two images!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the juxtaposition of the oceans and the hills. We are always far from something.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So lovely, Rosemary--wonderful how the sounds followed you from hill to ocean--thanks much, and thanks for liking the pic. k.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the sounds! I can close my eyes and see horses that waves that turn into horses again. There is such yearning in the tone, too... ♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. I, too, love the sounds. I remember the first time I heard the ocean before I saw it. I can picture the horses and hear their hoofs. Wonderful :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. That second part reminds me of illustrations seen sometimes in children's books of the waves as horses and the foam as mane. I love this. It is so visually and aurally realistic.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have always thought of the foamy white breakers as white horses galloping in to shore.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Somehow horses and the foamy vibrancy of waves connect. (That was my thought when I wrote my poem too.) Love the contrasting narratives in both poems. There is an intimacy of life journeys there. My poem however, went further - from water to earth and becoming a little dark. The four colours and symbols were in a specific order - representing the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree, the sensory details make this an incredible piece :D
    Beautifully executed.

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is such an artful representation of the image. Beautifully done

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like this too, Rosemary. The comparison of the horses and sea waves is beautifully drawn with your words.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds we know are often a stepping place to describe sounds we don't know but are similar in some respects. Sounds can remain in memory they say. I can't remember faces.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like this very much ... especially the closing. Also this line: "then stop, wheel and return"

    ReplyDelete
  14. oh, the thunder of hooves and waves can't be far from each other in our subconscious, can they? ~

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the musicality of this piece!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated and will be visible after being approved by the blog owner. If you can only comment anonymously, please include your name in the comment, just so I know who's talking to me.