Ashley's Award Winning Poem From A Few Years Ago

Ashley Edwards, my youngest daughter, won the international Voice For the Horse poetry competition for her poem about Cyclops, the one eyed ancient stallion who rested  easy in our pastures for his final years. His eye was gouged out while he was still a foal. He went on to become one of the dominent stallions at Corolla for many years. I met him in 2008 when he was still wild. he kept himself between us and his mares every moment that we were there. This winter my brother watched as he ran a large coyote out of the pasture. 

 

While wild he sired Manteo, Baton Rouge, Samson, and Skyco.

      

To See Through My Eye

These naked horses that stand on two hooves
And cover their nakedness with colorful things,
How ugly they can be.
These naked horses that bare their teeth in happiness,
And copy the songs of the birds,
How strange they are to me.
These naked horses who come as they please,
And tear the land apart,
How destructive they seem.
These naked horses who came up to me
And shoved their hooves toward my mouth,
How scary they were to me.
These naked horses from whom I ran away,
They chased after me;
How mean they have become.
These naked horses gave me no place to go;
I run up an incline with gaping holes; these things called ‘stairs’,
How frightening this is to me.
These naked horses that cornered me are nowhere to be seen.
I turn and the holes in the incline look so dark;
How deep they look to me.
These naked horses made me jump over the side,
And I land in agony; this cylindrical thing sticking out of the ground;
What pain it has caused me.
These naked horses are now out of my thoughts,
And now all I can think of is this blinding pain;
Half of me cannot see…
If you could see through my eye.

This painful journey is about to begin;
Though I am young I must deal with this demi-blindness,
How new this is to me.
This painful journey is one I am not yet taking alone;
I have my mares with me for comfort, and I make use of this.
This painful journey has its blinks of joy,
And I bring to the land many handsome children;
How wonderful they are to me.
This painful journey, how fast it blurs by!
I am getting old, and all I want is to be alone;
How quiet I wish things could be.
This painful journey has taken me up north,
Away from the sand and water I once knew;
How different this place is to me.
This painful journey makes the years pass swiftly,
Full of fights for food and home, and this lump near my front hoof;
How tough this all has made me.
This painful journey is becoming old and dull;
I return South to the old shores but I am not as young as I was,
How old and weary this all has made me.
This painful journey comes to an end,
And I have no fear left in me when I see the naked horses again;
How tiring this has become to me…
If you could see through my eye.

This new beginning comes by in a surprising way;
I am tricked into a silver box that moves,
How still fear has made me.
This new beginning starts when the silver box opens up,
And I gallop out onto a green field;
How beautiful this is to me.

These naked horses, they fix up my wounds,
Though they hurt for a while, and the lump grows back, I heal slowly and am happy;
How ponderous they are to me.
These naked horses gave me a place with others of my kind,
And I can eat and think about the old days, and am at peace…
If you could see through my eye.