When I Am An Old Horsewoman

33. 
    

    
    

    When I Am An Old Horsewoman
    I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
    And a straw hat that doesn’t suit me
    And I shall spend my social security on
    white wine and carrots,
    And sit in my alleyway of my barn
    

    And listen to my horses breathe.
    I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
    And ride the old bay gelding,
    Across the moonstruck meadow
    If my old bones will allow
    And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
    As I walk past the gardens to the barn
    and show instead the flowers growing
    inside stalls fresh-lined with straw.
    I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair
    as if it were a jewel
    And I will be an embarrassment to ALL
    Who will not yet have found the peace in being free
    to have a horse as a best friend
    A friend who waits at midnight hour
    With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
    For the kind of woman I will be
    When I am old.
    -Author Unknown