When I am Old........

I shall wear diamonds

With ribbons and flowers on it

And I shall spend my Social Security

On white wine and carrots

And sit in the alley of my barn

And listen to my horses breathe

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer’s night

And ride the dappled mare

Across the moonstruck meadow,

If my old bones will allow.

And when people come to call,

I will smile and nod,

As I walk them past the gardens to the barn

And show, instead, the flowers growing

There in stalls fresh lined with straw.

I will learn to shovel and sweat and

Wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.

And I will be an embarrassment to all

Who look down on me

Who have not yet found the peace in being free

To love a horse as a friend,

A friend who waits at midnight hour

With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes

For that’s the kind of woman I will be

When I am Old.

By Lori Cadwell