Ken Barrick, The Mesilla Guard, 1986, oil on canvas.
Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site (Mesilla, NM).
Adult Category Winner
"Mesilla Joyride" by Kristin Knight
My flank twitches,
The saddle cinches.
My shoulder tugs
as the heaviness shifts and
my back receives
my rider.
Urgency looms.
A nocturnal ride?
Unusual.
Tension crackles
In the desert air.
My sides recoil as the
spurs thump my ribs.
There is urgency
in the command.
Or is it fear?
Walk...trot...
Cantor, gallop!
We move as one:
A midnight dance.
Dark shadow rushes by.
Exhilaration
fills my lungs.
Understanding
the apprehensive
night ride matters not,
as I was bred
to run.
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