horse poetry

The hoofs of horses, Oh! witching and sweet
Is the music earth steals from iron shod feet;
No whisper of lover, no trilling of bird
Can stir me as hoofs of the horses have stirred.

They spurn disappointment and trample despair
And drown with the drumbeats the challenge of care.
With scarlet and silk for their banners above
They are swifter than fortune and sweeter than love.

If you like poetry and if you like horses, here is a big anthology of perhaps 300 poems by more than 170 leading contemporary poets. The collection was selected and edited by Suzan Jantz, editor of the Yarroway Mountain Press, www.yarrowaymountainpress.com. The California State University Research and Creativity Foundation provided a grant for the project.

Cadence of Hooves contains a broad range of horse-centered poems by horse lovers from every discipline. With permission, from time to time FHL will bring you selections from this lovely book. For the first such offering, here is a favorite of mine by 1986 Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Taylor.