"Only a pound," said the auctioneer,
"Only a pound; and I'm standing here
Selling this animal, gain or loss --
Only a pound for the drover's horse?
One of the sort that was ne'er afraid,
One of the boys of the Old Brigade;
Thoroughly honest and game, I'll swear,
Only a little the worse for wear;
Plenty as bad to be seen in town,
Give me a bid and I'll knock him down;
......
Barely a twelvemonth after
The seven days war that put the world to sleep,
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.
On the second day
The radios failed; we turned the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,
Dead bodies piled on the deck. On the sixth day
......
Wagon wheel gap is a place I never saw
And Red Horse Gulch and the chutes of Cripple Creek.
Red-shirted miners picking in the sluices,
Gamblers with red neckties in the night streets,
The fly-by-night towns of Bull Frog and Skiddoo,
The night-cool limestone white of Death Valley,
The straight drop of eight hundred feet
From a shelf road in the Hasiampa Valley:
Men and places they are I never saw.
......
In Memory of one of the Writer's Family who was a Volunteer during the War
with Napoleon
In a ferny byway
Near the great South-Wessex Highway,
A homestead raised its breakfast-smoke aloft;
The dew-damps still lay steamless, for the sun had made no sky-way,
And twilight cloaked the croft.
'Twas hard to realize on
......
The night too quickly passes
And we are growing old,
So let us fill our glasses
And toast the Days of Gold;
When finds of wondrous treasure
Set all the South ablaze,
And you and I were faithful mates
All through the roaring days!
Then stately ships came sailing
......
In a kingdom called Vividale, long ago, lived a loyal knight, Sir Andrew,
Famed for turning the tide in battles, and none of the tales were untrue!
Intelligent and a natural leader, Sir Andrew's fast horse was called Fury.
Together, they were an incredible duo, like whipped cream, with a cherry.
The king was very pleased, since the kingdom remained happy and free;
And Andrew was often present at court, like breezes, telling flower stories.
Fast-paced friends made life fun for Andrew, and fashionable wife, Fern;
......
Though little Suzie was wild about horses, she was too young to ride,
At just five golden years old. Like summer faded, where nature sighed.
Playful Suzie longed to visit Banbury Cross, a place she had not been.
Her older siblings told exciting tales of it, like spring, alive with green!
For Little Suzie's birthday, her parents had given her a rocking horse;
And it was a prized possession, which she played with daily, of course.
As today came closer to someday, she'd visit countless places far away.
......
spirit is his name
racing through field or meadow
he loves to run free
in the times of blooms
in the saffron colored dawns
or red sunset dusk
for apples he comes
and you can ride like the wind
......
One question I have now is this;
What kind of creature the horse is?
An animal who is exultant of his strength
And the brightness of his rustling mane.
Who made the horse to run so fast?
Who caused it to leap like a locust?
Who made it not to fear the harness and the saddle?
Who made it not to fear the harshness of the battle?
He is not shaken by the sharpness of the spear,
I seldom know an animal who laughs at fear.
......
I got a rocking horse for my birthday;
And my new horse is magic and special!
When we're alone, it rocks me far away;
But my colt is very gentle and careful.
My magic horse, flies me to fun places.
One night, it rocked me off to the moon!
We've seen the world and so many faces,
And we'll both be traveling again soon.
......