I just received this poem as a forwarded email I love it. The name at the bottom was Sandy Arledge Quarter Horses. I don’t know if she is the author but it is wonderful.
WHEN I AM OLD
When I am old, I shall wear diamonds
And a wide brimmed straw hat
With ribbons and flowers on it.
And I shall spend my social security
On white wine and carrots
And sit in the alley of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe.
I will sneak out in the middle of a summer’s night
And ride the dappled mare
Across the moonstruck meadow,
If my old bones will allow.
And when people come to call,
I will smile and nod,
As I walk them past the gardens to the barn.
And show, instead, the flowers growing there
In stalls fresh lined with straw.
I will learn to shovel and sweat and
Wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.
And I will be an embarrassment to all
Who look down on me.
Who have not yet found the peace in being free
To love a horse as a friend,
A friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes.
For that’s the kind of woman I will be
When I am Old.
