Monday, April 19, 2010

Wild Horse Poet

Dear Readers,
Katie said I could share her poem with you & this is what inspired her:
I had just read your post on you blog titled, Death in the Desert. The picture and blog just sparked something in me. That video that was posted as well showed what happens to happy, healthy stallions and their families and it gave me inspiration to show what it's really like, or what I imagine it to be, from the stallion's view. The heartbreak he feels at seeing his mares and foals diminish, till there is only one left.
What the BLM is doing just kills me, and I'm sure many others, but for some reason, not the BLM workers.
I'm glad you like the poem, it's one of my favorite things I've done.


photo by Cat Kindsfather

Blind by Katie Bucklein

From the Mustang's View

Are you just blind?
Can't you see what you're doing to me?
To me and my family?

I remember just yesterday
Just yesterday I was playing with my foals
Nipping their hooves and racing through the wind with them
Just yesterday, I was happy and carefree.

Then, overnight, I smelled men
I rushed my family to our hiding place
Hoping no one would find us, “Stay silent” I say
We stayed there, shaking and scared.

We awoke to the sound of buzzing
A giant, silver bird flew through the sky
My family screamed and ran
The little foals falling behind, I tried to stay with them.

We were funneled through strange-looking grass
Grass that stood straight up
Grass that didn't blow in the breeze
My family grew tired, giving in to the silver bird.

We were forced, screaming into a silver tunnel
A silver tunnel with no way out
We were locked in, fearing for our lives
We huddled close, trying to remain comforted with our family.

Near the end of the journey in the silver tunnel
I began to smell horses
Horses that I didn't recognize
I puffed up my chest, ready to fight for my family.

We were funneled out of the tunnel
I raced around my family, trying to keep them together
I heard my foals whinnying for their mothers,
Their mothers were gone; I was left with my young foals

I am pushed into a crevice that leads to other horses
I see a few that look like my mares
I rush to them, eager to rejoin them
But I soon find out that these are other stallions, just like me.

I look around for my foals
They're gone from sight
I look for my mares
I can't see them anywhere, they are gone too.

I turn back to the stallions, looking for a friendly face
I see none
One lone black stallion in the back catches my eye
I move toward him.

“What is this place?” I ask the black stallion
He raises his head and looks at me
“The end. No way out.” He says.
I look around, scared that I will die here.

A short while later, I am pushed once again into a strange ring
I recognize my mares and rush to them
They whinny in greeting and we nuzzle each other
We can't find our foals anywhere.

Suddenly, a hot stick is pressed against me
I jump away and scream
I see a man, holding the stick and pressing it to a mare
I charge him but another man slaps me with a long stick.

My mares are collapsing
I feel my legs shaking but remain standing
I must remain strong for my mares
We are once again separated and pushed back into the strange rings.

I remain next to the black stallion,
Breathing deeply and glancing around at other stallions
I hear neighs that sound familiar
I raise my muzzle and neigh back, longing for my freedom.

I never once again see my foals
I catch glimpses of my mares
They are slowly diminishing
Until only a few are left.

I ask the black stallion again,
“What is happening to my family?”
The black stallion sighs and looks sadly around
“They are dying, just like mine.”

These words scare me
I want my family back
I want my freedom back,
I wish to be running through fields again, playing with my foals.

Won't someone help me?
I don't want to live like this
I have been here for many months,
Never again seeing my family.

I catch word of one of my mares still alive
I wish I could see her,
To see which mare is left
But I never do.

My foals are all gone
No longer living on this earth
What strange creature is doing this to us?
What have we done to them?

Someone save us
I want to run again,
To be out of this strange ring
With the strange food and strange customs.

I am alone
Alone with hundreds of stallions that I do not know
None are my sons, all grown up
What has happened to them?

I raise my muzzle once again,
Neighing loudly into the wind
Wishing to be out on the mountains again,
And then I collapse onto the ground, breathing deeply.

As I close my eyes one last time,
I feel the black stallion sniffing my neck
“Save my family if you see them.”
I whisper to him, one last time.

I take my last breath,
Exhausted and scared
Never understanding what is going on
Or why.

Are you just blind?
Can't you see what you’re doing to me?
To me and my family?

Labels: mustangs, Phantom Stallion reader, wild horses

Permalink to this blog post

Posted by Terri Farley @ 4:24 PM

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Comments: Wow, thanks Terri! Hopefully this sparks fire in people to fight for our mustangs. We can't let them become extinct! They helped form this country.
  A wonderful poem...

so many people want to stop the roundups...

but the enemy are great in number;

(BLM Officials...)

WE WILL PREVAIL; ROUNDSTOPS WILL STOP; Mustangs will be free ! (and Burros too..!
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