granite horse

The granite horse sits there

as if he could do it forever

watching people stroll by

licking ice cream cones

sipping colas

while the lacy aroma of fresh baked bread

invades the atmosphere 

like a satin sheet brushing a lover’s thigh

but this does not phase him

smiles and laughter surround him

yet he is but a voyeur

an ancillary object

useful to only the occasional pigeon

still.... walking through 

this dreamy winter’s day

I wish I could sit there

just as stoically 

watching the scene forever

just like that granite horse

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

damn....if only we could be as stoic..yet everything affects us...and we don't need the pigeons to do it...others crap on us enough---and we wish we could be stone cold to that...

or be a real horse and gallop away from what ails us...

alas...we are somewhat stationary in life....we have movement...but we not only observe but are observed and judged...

would be nice to have some ice cream, though.

[Lydia Shutter]

Ice cream makes everything better...especially if it has sprinkles on top! :) Thanks, Jacob. Lydi**

[Norman 223]

There is a feeling of stability here, with the changing scenes of life passing around and beneath. Seemingly having nothing but a visual purpose, you amusingly generate a practical function as an avian depository to further the reader's imagination. :-)

[Lydia Shutter]

I like to leave a lot to the reader's imagination when I write. To me, each person should be able to see something just a bit different in the words. Thank you, Norman. Lydi**

[R.M.C]

The second great piece (of yours) in a row I've read this morning. You personify the granite horse perfectly when describing what its senses from its pedestal. If this was all it was about, it would be a good poem; what makes it truly great is the transference into life - how it can compare/relate to life. Everyone experiences life differently and are affected by it/feel emotions differently... sometimes, those who are stoic wish to be able to feel like everyone else... but sometimes, people wish that they could be stoic, that they could be un-phased by the pains of life. A great read; you en capture this effortlessly.

[Lydia Shutter]

Indeed, we all view any given circumstance differently depending on our experiences in life. Your in depth review has made my day start off a bit brighter. Thank you so much. lydi**

[ANTO]

A majestic topic Lydia, this rouses conflicting feelings within me - admiration and sadness - as if there's a being or energy trapped there forever - maybe happy or not, like the guards at Buckingham Palace - stoic and impenetrable. Magnificent yet cold and aloof. Lonely almost.

[Lydia Shutter]

Thanks so much. I always appreciate it when you take the time to read me. Lydi**

[ANTO]

My pleasure Lydia. I don't get to read you enough. My fault entirely *mental note to self - pay a visit to the finest romantic poet on WC more often*

[Lydia Shutter]

Believe me, I understand. We all have busy lives. The poetry does not expire. You can visit it whenever you have the time. Lydi**

[Dhaye]

I was wishing I could be something
Indifferent to pleasure and/or pain
But I am human and these emotions are part of me
Pain has broken me down,
But love gave me hope that somehow
My broken pieces could be fixed
And I'll be whole again.
---Dhaye

[Lydia Shutter]

I am glad you found love to help you through the hard times, Dh! Thank you for your review. Lydi**

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Lydi, a poet sees the granite horse
through rose-colored glasses of days of yore
when hitched to a wagon you could hear the hoofs
on the cobbled streets... now standing in repose
the scent of a rose lingers. truly, Pat

[Lydia Shutter]

Beautifully said, Pat! Thank you for your review. Lydi**

[Sheila Kline]

As much as we may yearn to be like the granite horse who may be "stone cold", a permanent part of the scenery, watching though really oblivious to the real problems of life because it is merely a statue, we find we just can't be as a statue because we do feel, we do more than watch, we become a part of another and that is what makes us, the humans, so "alive" when the granite horse shall ever be just part of the landscape. It is this "aliveness" that brings us pain, joy, tears, the taste of a cola, perhaps alone when we yearn for it to be shared with another; we can't get away from it, though we may wish for it. The horse has no choice, it is "set in stone".
It's nice to be able to watch at times, undisturbed, not a part of the drama of life, while the granite horse doesn't even know how we feel at the time.

[Lydia Shutter]

How wise you are, Sheila....I would not want to lose my ability to feel no matter how much it may hurt at times. Thank you for this deep analysis of my words. I appreciate it. Lydi**

[Lyn Anderson]

I am sure I can't say anything others have not said about this piece and why it resonates -- we wonder what these seemingly eternal objects have see over the years -- to be able to observe without participating ...

[Lydia Shutter]

I appreciate your review, KL. Lydi**

[redzone]

you have a horse, I have an old tree.. it sits in the park I go to frequently and sit, drink coffee, write and mostly watch people goig, coming, doing all kinds of stuff usually with kids or dogs, eating lunch, or just hanging out like me.. But this tree fascinates me cause it is barely a tree any more, just a branchless wonder. I often think of all the things it has seen over the years, how many squirrels played tag in its once branches and how many pigeons sat and s**t on it... to me it's still a beautiful tree just for its endurance...

anyway, your poem made me think about this and I found myself with stoicism and wondering, would it be a stoically "nice" poem or a "nice' poem because of the "satin sheets brushing a lover's thigh" or maybe even "nice" for that cone of ice cream... hmm decisions, decisions...

how about "nice" poem because it just IS!!! it exists to thrill and allow us to be alive!!!

redzone

[Lydia Shutter]

Curt, you always make my day with your reviews! So you have that old tree and I have that old statue...they do help us see life from a different point of view. Of course, that means you and I are more alike than it would seem at first glance....be afraid, be VERY afraid! :) Thank you very much for this "nice" comment...and it is way too cold for ice cream up in the Big Apple! Lydi**

[Troy Henson]

I often do this Lydi...look at inanimate objects and wonder what they see...always sounds sill but even as i sit sometimes and watch the motions of what others go through i realise that there is so much more to life than judging others or what they do. We are only human though and creatures of habit...

loved this Lydi

[Lydia Shutter]

We are, that is so true. Thank you for the review, Troy. Lydi**