Through the grass I watched them pass,
In rain and sunny weather,
At drinking trough and under trees,
With hoods and rugs and tether.

Never empty was their trough
For I was there to fill it
And lack of love they never got
While I was there to give it.

But things you love go away
And sometimes do not return,
But I will see them a lot
From their departure I'll learn.

I can't see them as much now
Whenever I am in need
I can't just sit down and watch them
Deciding who gets which feed.

I saw a miracle birth
The first five weeks of her life
Shock Treatment became a 'good mate'
And Monty got in some strife.

They will love it at Hallam
With their own stables and yards
A change from very big paddocks
But to adapt won't be hard.

I know it is best for them
And probably best for me
I won't say that this is the end
'Cause a lot of them I'll see.

Lloyd McLean (1991)
 

Although I grew up in the suburbs, for a period of time in what was an empty lot at the end of our street (now a housing estate) there were some horses that were agisted there. A lot of time I spent writing was with the backdrop of watching the horses. This was a short poem I wrote reflecting on their move - It was probably not so much the horses that I missed, but just the fact that they were there made me feel like I was living in a more rural area than I actually was!

This poem is part of the Horses and Things collection