i read a poem called you look up pictures of icelandic ponies and after it this question:
Have you ever seen Icelandic horses? I’ve only seen pictures and am very taken with their luscious coats and expressive eyes. A friend who visited Iceland told me that because they live in such isolation, Icelandic horses are totally vulnerable to disease that’s endemic elsewhere. Which means that horses who leave Iceland can never return. This poem is part of a new manuscript I’m working on.
and i responded to the question i have seen an icelandic pony on gabriola island, b.c. we had a trail riding thing and someone lent us their pony. i remember her thick warm fur and broad back, her smooth slow gait. i remember a full moon night i rode alone with her and lay back on her bare back letting her follow the trail and looking up at the stars between the black pines.
after i sent it i reread the poem and the only thing i saw about icelandic ponies was the title.
that night ride with the icelandic pony is a poem in my memory.
i guess that pony would not need to return. i imagine with her sweet self calmly walking the island still after all this time, home away from home, that place in my memory i never return to physically.