Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE HORSE IN THE TREE, by E. S. SORENSON First Line: High in the fork of a gnarled old tree Last Line: "twas a dam' fine leap he made." Subject(s): Animals; Death; Horses; Trees; Dead, The | ||||||||
HIGH in the fork of a gnarled old tree Was the skeleton of a horse By the road that wandered to Wirrandee; And I said to Charlie, who rode with me, "Left there by a flood, of course." But Charlie answered, "Well, I must say You fellows make me smile; For every person who comes this way Just thinks the same, an' he's miles astray. Now, I'll give you the dinkum ile. "I was on that moke when he stuck up there 'Twas a wonder I wasn't killed; But seein' impediments everywhere I shifted back in the atmosphere, An' only got bumped an' spilled. "You see, I was after a brumby mob, Which hereabouts split an' spread, Goin' lickety-split, me an' Wirrandee Bob, An' didn't see, till I reached that knob, The tangle o' scrub ahead. "The only openin' was through that fork, An', 'fore I had time to think, Blue Streak went up like a popped-up cork, But the game old moke was as fat as pork An' jambed like a wedge in a chink. "An' there's his bones; 'tis a wonder how They've hung in the sun an' shade; But 'The Horse in the Tree' is a landmark now That drovers know, an' they all allow 'Twas a dam' fine leap he made." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A FRIEND KILLED IN THE WAR by ANTHONY HECHT FOR JAMES MERRILL: AN ADIEU by ANTHONY HECHT TARANTULA: OR THE DANCE OF DEATH by ANTHONY HECHT CHAMPS D?ÇÖHONNEUR by ERNEST HEMINGWAY |
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