Thursday, June 26, 2008

Gipsy gold

"Gipsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark." ~attributed to the Claddaugh Gypsies of Galway

I'll leave you for a few days with an image from North Dakota that's captured my memory and a small part of my imagination.

Pasture horses. Not the usual pampered racing thoroughbreds I see everyday here in NJ. These were full of curiosity... alarming, almost, in the way they surrounded us when we came upon them. There's a story to tell, but I haven't exactly found the way, yet.

I love horses; it's irrational of me... I'm not some country girl, after all. I don't want a horse; I just want to be able to look at them. Seeing them makes me wish I knew how to work clay in my hands.

That first morning in North Dakota, I was awake before the sun came up. It was my birthday. I was outside in the near dark, barefoot in the wet grass, wondering at my good luck. The sky was so filled with stars... I could see the Milky Way and birds were waking up around me... strange sounds, but ones that would soon become familiar there... Clay-Colored Sparrow and Western Meadowlark and Common Snipe.

There were unseen horses closeby; I could hear their snorting and soft nickering in the dark.

Magic.

;-)

11 comments:

KGMom said...

Oh, I think there is something hardwired in human DNA that draws us to horses. After all, horses would have been the first means we had of fast travel. (I think we are also hardwired to be drawn to dogs!)

RG said...

That's why so many people always tend to move West in this country! The great praries and then the shining mountains and then the grand valleys and rivers rushing to the sea ...

We are all a little bit Daniel Boone!!!

z-silverlight said...

Nice little herd. They just may be rescued and that place is a refuge.

Ruth said...

Have a good trip!

Jayne said...

They look so very thoughtful and intelligent. Maybe you are a horse whisperer and don't even know it? :c)

NCmountainwoman said...

Lovely description of a wonderful morning.

bobbie said...

I too have always been an admirer. I know what you mean about clay in your hands. You long to portray what you see.

Dr. Know said...

Nic pix. They look content and their behaviour implies they have been treated well. (Think apples and sugar cubes from their Supreme Overlord.)

LauraHinNJ said...

KGMom: I'd have to agree, of course. I wish, tho, that it were easier for me to get my hands on horses.

Rabbit's Guy: Yeah... wish I could find more excuses to *go west*.

Z: Not sure, really, but it was nice to meet them.

Ruth: Thanks!

Jayne: :-) I was not the horse whisperer, but that's part of the story yet to tell.

NCMountainWoman: It was a treat for my birthday-morn, yeah.

Bobbie: Exactly - the camera is a poor substitute.

Dr. Know: Ha! I was wishing for an apple in my pocket!

RuthieJ said...

I like seeing horses too and petting their velvety noses. They have their own special scent too. (I usually only get to see them up close at the county fair.)

LauraHinNJ said...

Ruthie: I like to do that too, but these got a little too close for comfort.