Tiny
untravelled rubbery white hooves
Lay still in the golden cradle of straw.
Early light glistens over the waves of
steaming new born hair
Freshly released from its sweet embryonic
waters.
This interlude of complacency is quickly
relinquished
To the harsh reality and ancient will for
survival.
Lazy eyes try to focus
with intensity
Upon discovery of this unfathomable world.
Anxious to catch every haunting minute
sound,
Ears not yet strengthened by constant
movement
Flop listlessly at half-mast in the cool
night air.
Long muzzle whiskers tickle and retreat at
the slightest touch
As they search in some semblance for
recognition
Of what, it does not know.
No longer muted by womb's protected slumber,
It frantically beckons for its detached
mother.
A soft wise deep nicker responds in kind
As a soothing lick gives solace to her
little one.
With an inborn sense of
urgency and parental authority,
The mare nudges the flesh deprived bony
quarters
Encouraging them to engage at once.
Struggle upon struggle,
It rises on curl bound limbs,
Representative of uneasy towers.
Intoxicated by gravity's firm pull,
It battles against its compromising effects
And weaves desperately to remain bolt
upright.
Its tottering weight goes down, hard with no
apology.
Flared nostrils draw in a
smorgasbord of unmasked scents
Expanding virgin lungs with a tingle of
precious oxygen.
Its small body heaves with exhaustion and
renewed exhilaration.
All systems now self sustaining and pumping
to their max
It braces to stand again, this time with
acquired fortitude.
Guided by the miracle and magnetic force of
instinct
Contentment and belonging is found
In a warm feast of security, nourishment and
want
As it passionately suckles from a fulsome
teat.