Heart

In honor of my father Eddie who taught me to get back up.

My favorite horse and I Scarlet Message. 

The post parade complete at last

the bugle finally played

My heart pounded as hooves sounded

just get us home safe I prayed

That night was like many others

as I sat behind the stud

 Skies overcast, let loose at last

 each horse seemed to swim in mud

 

 

We turned to face the starting gate

I chirped to set him alight

All could tell as we knew too well

this was a hell of a night

Fire stoked in each the beasts nostrils

I could feel each burning breath

I knew too well, the hounds of hell

might take us both to our death

 

 

We followed the gate to the stretch

the wings closed to let us fly

I tucked him in, hoping he'd win

 and nothing would go awry

On back my neck breathed the Demon

 front-ender that I most feared

The Devils Spell I knew too well

one the gamblers all revered

 

 

Death rode the back of my helmet

his hot breath searing my neck

I’d rather he, be behind me

than in front and cause a wreck

The quarter pole bunched up tightly

the front end had closed ground

Tighter it got, man he was hot

he wanted to run me down

 

 

The hooves pitched limestone in our eyes

we closed on the second turn

At my wheels, nipping on my heels

the Demon began to burn

He wanted out that was certain

but the field had closed us in

I couldn’t see, neither could he

how either of us might win

 

 

The Demon wasn’t used to this

he had never been held back

He would burn wheels, kick up his heels

as he ran off down the track

I could hear his labored breathing

as his driver choked him down

The last turn steered, then we all cleared

it was time to go to town

 

 

The field rolled out of the end turn

as the Red Sea opened wide

My stud snatched his bit, in a fit

we were off for a wild ride

Just in front of the Demon Seed

I felt we'd surely collide

I turned to see, he was on me

as he rolled up alongside

 

 

But the fire had gone out in him

he had spit the bit the beast

He'd choked upon humility

or so it had seemed, at least

We had cleared the rest of the pack

stared down the Demon of Sin

To slip and slide on life’s rough ride

and come out the end to win

 

 

The Demon never won again

retired of a broken heart

I think all knew, as I did too

he would draw an Amish cart

But that’s just how one grows in life

all made at times to feel small

The best aren't mean, though they are seen

to get up, each time they fall

 

Author's Note

What forms the character of a man? Pride in oneself and the ability to accept defeat. It is not as important that a man win as it is that he accept his performance and try his best. Of course anyone who lacks humility will be humbled by rocky shores of life. With or without his permission. This a poem to honor my fathers life. For he was one who always got back up when he fell. A fitting testament to the creed he learned from his own father and then passed down to me.

Reviews

[David Lewis Paget]

Bravo Tate, you've taken that life experience and brought it to life for your readers. The rhythm you chose echoes the hooves of those horses as they thunder along the straight, bringing the race alive, and into the living rooms of everyone who reads this. The only thing this lacks is punctuation, and the lack of this gives halt to the reading in a number of places.
One typo - 'The Demon wasn’t use(d) to this'
Thanks for a great ride...

[Mark]

Tate, I am truly impressed, and so, it seems was David. Never was I less distracted by the occasional misspelling or lack of punctuation (about which you know me to be very anal!) than I was while reading this! The pace (NPI), the flow, the building tension, the moral, all combine to create perhaps my very favorite of your creations, and its applicability to a human's experience (though related in a horse's) is spot-on! Thanks for a really impressive read!

[Autumn Dawn Gorny]

You could really imagine what the Jockey felt as this horse barreled down the muddy track, both fear and exhilaration of it all.

[Muse]

Once again Tate....I lived this experience vicariously speaking...as I read your heart-felt words. It was intense...and so very human. Like always you throw in flare and wisdom. Well worth the read.

What is the Paget Meter? lol Perhaps you two can teach me?

Very nice story Tate.

As always I love your stories, and structure.

E.L.

[Lumière Dé..]

Wow! Definitley brought it to life. The rhythm was flawless... Oh the suspence!

[Seyi Ojenike]

Wonderful! Bringing a life experience to the readers in the most felt way

[Kes]

Wow. I've been horseriding since I was six and - although I've never broken anything - I've come pretty close, so seeing that accident really made my heart catch in my throat. I guess I know how scary it can be.
The meter is great, and seems to suit the poem very well - keeps a beat and a flow going; not unlike that of the pounding of horses' hooves. You write it extremely well. :)
The message of the poem is great too. I know I can be proud - a lot of us can be! - but I also know that humility is important. I understand that you can't win everything... doesn't mean I don't try though. :)
Thanks for sharing!
K

[Becky C Strukamp]

A delightful written poem and the theme so well protrayed.

[Priscilla Sayers]

A very well written story in verse. On the edge of my seat as the words flew by.... Nicely done my friend.

[Samuel Dickens]

Tate, you've really poured a lot into this. The cadence, the tension that builds, the rhymes and the voice--It made me think of that spectacular classic, "Casey at Bat". That part of your life has to be unforgettable. Thank you for crafting this special poem that recalls a brilliant few moments of your past.