Poetry

[kigerfan]

This is called A Visit Home

In the morning mist we stood
Weeds about our feet
Our ears alert so tense it hurt
Our hearts a pounding beat

Upon his neck a mark
Stood white against the gold
His legs long his muscles strong
His manner big and bold

His nostrils quivered wide
His breath hung in the air
His eyes scanned across the land
Maybe for a mare

Beside him I seemed small
His presence palpably felt
Courage and pride in every stride
He caused my heart to melt

In this place he was born
His hooves knew every trail
This his home of which he’d roam
Through every hill and veil

This life he used to know
His home from times now past
The windswept plain devoid of rain
The arid landscape vast

The stallion of a herd
Clever beyond his years
My partner and friend until the end
My eyes felt loving tears

In a second I sat astride
The leather saddle creaked
We covered ground with minimal sound
Inside my excitement peaked

His hooves in clouds of dust
His tail flared in our wake
Breathing fast as we flew past
My heart began to quake

His stride is long and sure
His path known to his soul
Carried along through bristling throng
To unknown distant goal

Swept up in his glory
A stallion in the wild
Hooves pounding dirt ears full alert
Astride I am beguiled

His hooves slow to a stop
He bugles out a neigh
Before not seen through wooded screen
Mares turn and look our way

Upon his muscled back
I sit enthralled with awe
Regarded by stares of curious mares
My stud began to paw

I began to fear my place
Upon a stallions back
Mares in view a stallion too
My reins no longer slack

I lightly asked for a back
His response quick and clear
His give discrete he moved his feet
I knew I had nothing to fear

Rein touching his neck
He gave to my desire
Nostrils flaring eyes staring
Beneath I felt his fire

Slowly we skirted the herd
The wild ones well in sight
My partner steady willing and ready
Should I ask that we take flight

This must have been his herd
He came directly here
His path was true as if he knew
What place they would be near

For hours we wandered the land
Through plains of golden strands
Gracefully swaying the day decaying
He responded to my hands

We retreated from whence we came
Willingly left the herd
Towards domestic life not filled with strife
I felt somewhat absurd

A stallion full of fire
Fertile strong and brave
Leaving the wild patient and mild
Denying something he craves

A decision that day made
By stallion wild at heart
To leave his past to join at last
With me on a new start

Upon returning home
Curried rubbed and fed
Reliving the day eating his hay
I watched him from the shed

How lucky I must be
His loyalty proven true
Majestic and free devoted to me
A friend to see me through

[DianneC]

Kiger Fan, is is amazing. I'm mean really, really good! This is your work? Oh my gosh! and I'm not just being nice either. You need to submit it to some magazines and definitely to the Cowboy poetry contest.

[stormyranch]

Yes, I really like it too!!!
It reminds me of riding Dino out amongst the Kigers. He would put his head down and smell the trail and find the horses every time.
Great Job!

[kigerfan]

You and Dino were the inspiration of the poem actually
I don't know about this poetry contest can you tell me about it?

[DianneC]

I knew that had to be Dino! If you Google Cowboy Poetry you will get lots of hits. The National Contest is in Elko, Nevada in January of 2010, but there are others as well. They had one in Texas too. You can do this!

[stormyranch]

Dino on his trip to the Kiger HMA in 2007

[MustangsInNC]

Dino is an inspiration to me! I hope Tesoro can grow up to be as calm and majestic as he is. )

On another note, do you think he remembers the HMA?

[kigerfan]

He's beautiful... or should I say handsome. If I do submit the poetry, may I use that picture with it?

[stormyranch]

Oh, yes by all means use the picture. Dino doesn't remember the HMA because he is from Riddle and we were at Kiger HMA. Once we brought some poop home and put it in Lui's pen and he smelled it for about 20 minutes. ;D I do believe that the Kigers have a different smell. On our first trip to Kiger HMA in 1998 Kevin was riding his horse Tanner who was a mustang. We did not know what HMA he was from because he was born in captivity after his mother was adopted and then he was sold. So the Guy we bought him from just knew he was a mustang. Anyway, that year Kevin and I went to 4 different HMA''s, S. Steens, Warm Springs, Palomino Butte and Kiger(our last stop). When we started our ride at Kiger, Tanner put his nose on the ground, and Kevin couldn't figure out what he was doing. He kept trying to go one way and Kevin was trying to go another. Finally Kevin gave up and just let him go and he took us right to the herd. He didn't do that at any of the other HMa's, so we were convinced after that, that he was a Kiger. Anyway, Dino, finds the herds at Kiger by the smell, but doesn't do that at any other HMA!

[kigerfan]

That's pretty interesting. I wonder what would give their droppings a different chemical makeup

[lindad]

You're on a roll Kiger Fan! It brought tears to my eyes. Yes, submit it or publish an entire collection. I can see a lovely little volume with you and Firefly on the jacket cover your scratch pictures of Kigers . You need the same picture of Dino and Kevin but Kevin in his western attire to add to the mystique. Each poem could have a small illustration that you have done, maybe some of your scratch illustrations. Kind of like the James Whitcomb Riley collections I so dearly love but dun Kiger Fan style. The hard cover could be in dun colors with gold lettering. Just some of my brainstorming to get you thinking.......!