Classic and Contemporary Poetry
BIG MARE, by MARK VAN DOREN Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The grass is deep in the field, and her four legs Last Line: To-morrow will come a boy. Is she to forget? Subject(s): Animals; Horses | ||||||||
The grass is deep in the field, and her four legs Sink out of sight. She plunges lazily on To a fresh circle, whence she lifts her head And looks across the fences to the barn. No voice from there, no swing of any door. She lowers her nose to the ground, but suddenly shifts, Looks up again, and stares into the quiet. Yesterday, and so long as she remembers, At this good hour there sounded a shrill cry: "Here, Chunk! Here, Chunk! Here, Chunk!" and two thin arms Were waved from a dark opening in the wall. Now nothing; so she feeds until the sun Comes cooler over the meadow, and starts home. Her feet trample on clover, and her breast Moves with superfluous might against the weeds. She plows across the creek and through the gap, Is half-way up the hillside; still no shout, No corn upon an aged, trembling hand. She hesitates, as if the barn were gone, Had never been just here, and gazes long At the half-opened door, then stumbles through. Some stranger has thrown nubbins in the box; Her salt is there, the timothy is down. She munches, while no words are in her nostrils; No feet in boots too big for them clump by. The weak old man who never failed has failed. Yet foolish whisperings, not of the hay, are heard: Spidery ghosts of fingers now caress her, Swiftly over a shoulder, down a flank, Smoothing, smoothing her mane till evening is night. Does a plain mare remember? And how long? To-morrow will come a slap and a careless whistle. To-morrow will come a boy. Is she to forget? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ALL THE LITTLE HOOFPRINTS by ROBINSON JEFFERS ROAN STALLION by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE HORSES by KATHARINE LEE BATES DANCERS AT THE MOY by PAUL MULDOON CRAZY HORSE SPEAKS: 3 by SHERMAN ALEXIE THE TRANSLATION by MARK VAN DOREN |
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