bridled skeletons of horses are piled
pointing away from the volcano
heads reared broke-neck backward
bucking in panic against their tethers
animals are said to feel more
seismic preludes to disaster
maybe they felt helpless knowing
their masters had already taken too long
or maybe anthropomorphism diminishes
a horse’s capacity for simple pain
maybe unlike humans
they understood nothing
could out-gallop
death already approaching
–
Edie Meade is a writer, artist, and mother of four in Huntington, West Virginia. She is passionate about literacy and collects books like they’re going out of style. Say hi on Twitter @ediemeade or https://ediemeade.com/.
© 2021, Edie Meade
Halfway Down the Stairs 