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.

By Lou Cadwell