“A Photograph” by Frances Jackson
Like some brave soldier
the old horse stands
riddled with pellets
from cruel boys’ hands
who may regret
or may expand
on what they’ve done.
That sad and bloodied
face, I turn from
I turn too late
imprinted now
and filed in files
with other photographs
too numerous
to contemplate.
Here is commentary by Patch poetry maestro Jeff Burkhart. Readers should take a moment to view a picture of the tortured horse that inspired this poem.
Dear readers, come with Frances Jackson and me on a journey of discovery. We will travel into the heart of evil itself as we contemplate the kind of mind that would perpetrate harm on an innocent animal, domestic or otherwise. This heartbreaking image of a horse that has been tortured by cruel young people stirs outrage in all right-minded people that see it. As uncomfortable as our viewing of this outrage is, hopefully it will inspire kind people everywhere to do what they can to further the cause of animal rights. There is an honesty and nobility in all of God's creatures. The arrogance of any human that thinks just because we have opposing thumbs and the ability to speak, that we are any better than any other species, is wrong on its face. Human beings are “Johnny come lately’s” in Earth's grand evolutionary scheme. These animals were here long before us and will probably be here long after we have run our course.
Jeff Burkhart
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