The Poetry of Horses: A Community Read

Picture is of Maxine Kumin’s PoBiz Farm (Maxine on her horse), from the Maxine Kumin website

Free.

The relationship of humans and horses has inspired some of the most moving and acclaimed poetry by some of our greatest poets. Today’s event is an opportunity for community members to come and read (out loud) their favorite horse related poems, or read from the poems we’ll provide. Or just listen.

An opportunity to lift our voices and tune our ears in praise of the importance of horses to human history (we wouldn’t be where we are without them).

One of the poets whose work we’ll include is Maxine Kumin, whose Amanda poems capture not only the unique horse-human relationship but also, vividly, a horse.  If you like it, come and sign up to read it.

Amanda Dreams She Has Died and Gone to the Elysian Fields

This morning Amanda
lies down during breakfast.
The hay is hip high.
The sun sleeps on her back
as it did on the spine
of the dinosaur
the fossil bat
the first fish with feet
she was once.
A breeze fans
the deerflies from lighting.
Only a gaggle of gnats
housekeeps in her ears.
A hay plume sticks out of her mouth.

I come calling with a carrot
from which I have taken
the first bite.
She startles
she considers rising
but retracts the pistons
of her legs and accepts
as loose-lipped as a camel.

We sit together.
In this time and place
we are heart and bone.
For an hour
we are incorruptible.

Others we may include are Donald Hall’s “The Names of Horses”, Jack Gilbert’s “Horses at Midnight without a Moon”, and a sad one called “Weakness” by Alden Nowlan (suggested by Sandisfield poet Hannah Fries).