Hooves by Louis Brown

(1) The Mongol hordes: their great skill with horses made them successful conquerors.

(2) The four horsemen of the Apocalypse: death, famine, war and conquest. (Emily Dickinson: “Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me.) in a horse-drawn carriage.

Because I could not stop for Death —
He kindly stopped for me —
The Carriage held but just Ourselves —
And Immortality.

We slowly drove — He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility —

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess — in the Ring —
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain —
We passed the Setting Sun —

Or rather — He passed Us —
The Dews drew quivering and Chill —
For only Gossamer, my Gown —
My Tippet — only Tulle —

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground —
The Roof was scarcely visible —
The Cornice — in the Ground —

Since then — 'tis Centuries — and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity — 

Theme: Do not be afraid of death. (“A Narrow Fellow in the Grass”)

(3) The age of chivalry in medieval Europe: Lancelot, King Arthur, Perceval, Sir Galahad and Ivanhoe, all rode horses to their glory.

(4) My Presbyterian friend has a daughter who raises horses in Kentucky.

(5) Pegasus and the Roman Centaurs.

(6) Mr. Ed (talking horse on TV).

(7) The Denver Broncos.

(8) Mustang is the name of gay porno company. Don’t know if it is still in business.

[For Halloween]

A narrow Fellow in the Grass Occasionally rides - You may have met Him? Did you not His notice instant is- The Grass divides as with a Comb - A spotted shaft is seen, And then it closes at your Feet And opens further on - He likes a Boggy Acre - A Floor too cool for Corn - But when a Boy and Barefoot I more than once at Noon Have passed I thought a Whip Lash Unbraiding in the Sun When stooping to secure it It wrinkled And was gone - Several of Nature's People

I know, and they know me I feel for them a transport Of cordiality But never met this Fellow, Attended or alone Without a tighter Breathing And Zero at the Bone.

© 9 October 2017

About the Author

I was born in 1944, I lived most of my life in New York City, Queens County. I still commute there. I worked for many years as a Caseworker for New York City Human Resources Administration, dealing with mentally impaired clients, then as a social work Supervisor dealing with homeless PWA's. I have an apartment in Wheat Ridge, CO. I retired in 2002. I have a few interesting stories to tell. My boyfriend Kevin lives in New York City. I graduated Queens College, CUNY, in 1967.