Old Man Finn

Old man Finn

Out on the track that fateful day

I had just turned to train a mile

When old man Finn, asked where I'd been

could he tag along for awhile

"Of course" I said, he turned his mare

we set out for the quarter pole

The leisured mile, we made in style

a two forty clip was the goal

 

Reaching the quarter then the half

we were on track to make the grade

Three quarters down, I turned around

to see man being measured, weighed

Finn's mare was at a full gallop

bitten by a horse fly I'd thought

Over the rail, with Finn in trail

their fates tied to the lessons taught

 

He'd been thrown over the withers

came down hard on the limestone track

Finn was quite old, cut of the mold

of men who go forward not back

I pulled my horse up, turned around

hoping to help him if I could

Perhaps a stroke, his hip was broke

he lie gasping against the wood

 

We then took up a collection

to help the old man convalesce

Each of us knew, Finn's hopes were few

as this made of his life a mess

Kind and charmed I knew him to be

many strapping sons to his name

 Sadly those then, who knew him when

said life would never be the same

 

I had saved a little money

a sizable sum for a lad

As I was young, my life unsung

I had given them all I had

My father seemed a bit upset

"I can't believe you sometimes son

Hard as it is, in the horse biz

why give away all that you've won"

 

Each of us knew the hardships then

we shared part and parcel the same

But as a boy, I took no joy

in most truths of that deadly game

I ran my horse four days later

the Finn's drove in every race

My mare set back, end of the pack

that night circled the field in place

 

All of them laughed as I rode by

hell they might just as well have waved

Each of them smiled, faces beguiled

yet they were all so well behaved

That night his boys were good to me

I grinned as I knew I'd been played

 Cut of the core, that taught me more

from pioneer stock they were made

Author's Note

When I raced horses I met some of the most interesting souls. To them the family made up of fellow horsemen were a world unto themselves . In many ways they taught me most of the values I hold dear. We were racing the secondary circuit. No one seemed to have any money most of the time. The blow dealt the Finn family that day was so devastating I couldn't help but feel it. After that the Finns regularly schooled me. Each time I was in to race my own horse. However I have to say there was nothing like watching the Friday night fights in the paddock with Freddie and whomever stepped on his toes. The Finns were tough, kind and consoling. In short they were cut of the fiber that once tamed this country straight from pioneer stock!

Reviews

[lee von cleef]

Life gives, and gives, so does Tate,we can't all do all, but through writers like Tate,we can take a cart ride,be a friend to Finn, even love the man and world of hard work, morning pride , a elder asking to be by our side, Share Tate's poems
Read them aloud, Paget's too, teach your friends to "feel"again,I think they can, we can crack our worlds "Conscious Comma ".

[Ghost of Jupiter]

another brilliant write...personal and touching...thank you for sharing this with all of us.

[Muse]

What a charming write Tate. Another personal glimpse of YOU. I guess that's what makes it such a wonderful read. You share your love for speed in such a warm meaningful way. The mentor and friends you write about..touching.

[poeticpiers]

follow your instincts and you won't go far wrong. Friend are more important than dollars.ou can't buy friendship but you can earn it
You are becoming a master bard Tate

[afra]

this was great! ...sad but i love it ....thank you so much for sharing this

[ElizabethRaine]

Oh my goodness, this truly does 'pull on the heartstrings' as some would say. Really well done with emotion and painting the picture of what you've written.

[Kenneth The Poet]

This is a brilliant write. Love the flow and emotion found throughout. You really tugged at my heart with this piece.

[spiritwind]

I enjoyed this glimpse into your past life. Please resolve a dispute--I think you're called a jockey if you drive trotters or pacers or race flat track. Or are you called a driver? I don't recall ever hearing the term. Anyway, this was a stirring account in both poetic form and prose. Very vivid both ways. I do not know the statistics but I should think more "jockeys" were hurt in trotting and pacing races than jockeys on top the horse's back [especially if they stayed on top of that back]. Thank you for the explanation about quatrains and rhyme schemes and I obviously have a lot to learn! I agree with you about Mr. Paget--I love reading his work but I didn't know he'd written 20 books. You're quite a storyteller in poem form yourself! I read your poem out loud and that made the rhythm of it obvious to me~~think I will be reading aloud for a while. Excellent! More poems set around horses would set well with me...:))

[Tate Morgan]

I'm sorry I never answered your question I simply got lost in the time harness horse men are called drivers not jockeys

[Arielle Ann]

After a long time when I read one of your pieces again, i just marvel again at your fine flow of words.Coming to the story you had to tell, it was heartrending; however what you did was worth a thousand words!
Marvelous as usual Tate!

[Heather]

Reading your poems is like taking a walk with you through a memory, its very emotional, makes me feel as I am there, transported into a time and meeting Finn myself. I love how you can look back from something from your childhood and write about it in such a poetic way. I loved it, it was such a pleasure to read, as is all of your work.

[de_maruf]

i feel myself bad to read the awesome emotional poem