JOLLY OUR RED HORSE WOMAN

a person never forgotten from my past...

JOLLY OUR RED HORSE WOMAN

her indian name was
red horse woman
because her mother
gave birth to her
in the brood mare barn
in the stall with cinnamon
a fine sorrel mare
who was also giving birth to
tinto, a strong chestnut son
who became one of the major stallions
in our stock horse breeding program

but her older brother randy, our wrangler,
and i called her jolly,
she was always filled with laughter
and warm hugs for everyone
her smile radiated happiness
and wisdom far beyond her years
we all spent long hours
working the horses
riding fence and gathering stock
we were partners
she and i
in so many ways
we shared everything,
our first crushes
our first heart breaks
all of our joys and all of our sorrows
even her brother, randy,
who was our teacher in all things horse,
we were sisters by choice rather than birth
and
i thought we would always
be close
share everything
nothing could break our friendship
nothing could tear us apart
until
a drunk driver running a red light
stole her from us,
ripped her from our life tapestry
with one thoughtless slam into his dark world

randy and i
wanted to seek him out
and stretch him out naked
over a red ant hill
with honey trails over his flesh
to make him pay
in some ancient indian way,
make him feel the pain of our loss
but
standing in the cool pearlised peach of evening
on the bank of the consumnes
as we tossed her ashes into the four winds
we heard her laughter
shimmering alive across the universe, free
whispering “i will always be with thee, always”
and
we hugged
and gathered the threads of memory,
of life
and began to weave the patterns of living again
and as the years have passed
i have seen her often
mounted on one of the great red horses
she loved so much
racing the tempest of life into the universe of forever
her laughter echoing through the coulees and canyons of my soul
always with me...

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

"we hugged
and gathered the threads of memory,
of life
and began to weave the patterns of living again
and as the years have passed"

Very enjoyable in all its sad and happy aspects woven from the tapestry of the fields where horses are birthed and the universe carries their memory all the time. Excellent...:)....

[jeannemarie coulter]

she was a very important being in my life, thank you for the generous kind words

[Sami Khalil]

I see. You are welcome...:)...................

[Perkele.7885]

Another great write! I was thinking throughout the poem that you and Randy might get together and produce a child to remember her in life and not just in death.

[wordman]

a beautiful story,brought a tear to my eye

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is so tragic, but so beautiful...and filled with smiles, showing that even in death, a spirit can linger with us and bring positive thoughts...

she would not have wanted you to get revenge...her nature sounded so kind, from this poem.

love the story you tell her....you really show.

[jeannemarie coulter]

my thanks and blessings to you...i learned a great many things about native american tales from jolly...she was a living blessing