Thoughts on Loss

Shilo and Nancy.

My mind has been tangled in the manes and tales of horse who have left us, for whom injury, bad turns, and time have dictated they must move on.

This strange collection of horses, this silly internet herd, a blogging band of snorting, bucking, nickering souls - they are somehow part of all of us these days.

I started this prayer/poem/prose in a comment for one, for Denali, then realized there were many more I wanted to share these feeling with. So, I wrote this for those left behind.

We are here for you,
my distant friend.
We hold your hand in the darkened forest
as you lead your companion one last time.

We tie white feathers into the mane,
to help speed the flight for this final journey.

We stand with you,
at the edge of that forest,
as your companion steps into that open meadow,
surrendering at last the limits of this place,
free now,
finally free.

We walk with you,
along the meadow,
stealing glimpses of your noble, dear one,
running along side on the edge of the horizon,
leaping hills, mountains, cloud banks, and then,
impossibly,
into the golden eye of the sun.

And we stay with you in the silence,
for you are never alone,
and with you,
we remember.