A Father’s Promise
A Father’s love for his little girl.
Her love of freedom-giving equine,
she cannot run without their help,
she cannot fly but on their backs.
A dream stays close to the vest.
12th Birthday swim at the home of friends,
a surprise to end all others.
A joyfully shocked, mouth-agape smile
lights her face;
the whinny of horses fills the air,
as if they too are celebrating.
She sees a pencil-legged plains pony
scared and unsure
gentle are his eyes though,
one brown, one blue
A nod of assurance she sees,
from the corner of her eye.
Sweet feed helps bridge the gap, and tames
their trepidation; slowly,
he takes it from her trembling hand.
His velvety nose touches her, gently
more alive she has never felt.
A young, painted horse, he eyes
the petite, curly-haired, hazel-eyed girl,
toothpick legs of her own,
curiosity does not always kill,
it can help opposites attract.
Her tender, yet hard-working heart, bursts;
then, water wells in her joy-filled eyes
they cannot be contained
the liquid escapes down her candy-apple cheeks.
His neck is tightly squeezed and her arms will not let go.
Neither will ever be the same.
4.22.19
That is so beautiful. I love this site! And I love the people here that contribute although most of them I have never met. I felt like I was there watching you meet that pony. ❤️
Thank you, Lana!!
I find this site, this connection quite astounding, and beautiful.
Tears. A dream I had as a child came true for you, and in turn by you sharing, I feel like it came true for me. We share a love for horses. Not surprising. LYS April.❤
I love YOU strong, dear Dana!!
Our shared loves for a number of things, you are correct, they are not surprising. For this I am truly thankful!
This caused my heart to stir, as I thought of my own Dad reading “A Father’s Promise”. It was beautifully written.
This fills my heart. <3
April…yet another thing I find we have in common…a love for animals and yes specifically horses. I remember pleading and begging for a horse. And finally when she arrived I was in heaven. The majestic beauty, Apollo, soared beneath me in an ever steady pace. She was all mine and I was all hers! My palomino and I never separated until that fateful day when a twisted-world came crashing down…I will definitely write about that one when I feel called but for now it will remain in the chambers of my mind. Suffice it to say if I could have a horse ranch and enjoy a simpler-slower life I would. Thank you for taking me back to such sweet memories of Apollo (I still for the life of me can’t remember why I named her Apollo). LYS I feel ever so connected even though we have yet to meet in person.
THANK YOU!!
How wonderful! I love that this conjured up your own experience. There is something so magical about the relationship between a girl and her horse. I can feel your love for her, so deeply.
I can’t wait to hear more about Apollo.
My paint was named Geronimo when he came into my life, but he became Apache. He was a holy terror, hated to be ridden, & tried to buck me off almost every time I got on his back (even with training). I settled for bathing (which he loved), grooming, feeding, and walking with him. He taught me a great deal about myself, how living beings are who they are, and that you can’t make them be something that they weren’t meant to be. Apache was wild, and needed to be as free as possible; therefore, he eventually went to live with an Appaloosa mare, and a Mustang gelding, and formed his own chosen family. I learned to love him enough to let him be himself, and let him go, not easy…but such a valuable lesson.
April, you are such a talented writer, naturally. I studied prose and stay impressed by you. Your poetic and storytelling abilities are pretty amazing. You remind me of Charlotte from Charlotte’s web, so kind and weaving a web of such beauty. LYS!
I am quite blown away by your particular compliment. That book had a major impact on my childhood, and I always loved Charlotte, I think it’s time I re-read that gem.
Thank you, my friend!!
LYS!