Centered in the Saddle

This week our barn suffered a sudden loss, the second this fall. Both were fairly young, well-cared for horses that colicked and took unexpected turns for the worse. Knowing myself how difficult it is to make these life-altering decisions, my heart goes out to my friends. These poems are in honor of Whinny, Diesel, their humans that they left behind, and – as always – Moses.

Where the Horses Go | Stanley Harrison

Somewhere, somewhere
In time’s own space,
There must be some sweet pastured place….
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow,
Some paradise where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen,
I know great horses live again.

When I lost Moses, a dear friend of mine shared this poem with me:

The Rainbow Bridge | Author Unknown

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
when their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
is a place where beloved creatures find rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
til The Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed.
Their bodies have healed with strength imbued.

They trot through the grass without even a care,
til one day they whinny and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes sharp and alert.
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the herd.

For just at that second, there’s no room for remorse.
As they see each other…one person…one horse.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past
The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart
has turned to joy once more in each heart.
They nuzzle with a love that will last forever.
And then, side-by-side, they cross over…together.

What words have comforted you, or have you given in comfort to others?