RACING TOWARD EXTINCTION - a poem dedicated to the real wild horse warriors & the endangered horses

RACING TOWARD EXTINCTION

The icons of America

are racing fast toward extinction

a vicious web

our wild ones are caught in

Once a symbol of freedom

out in the open country

where the cowboys live

and the eagles fly

Wild horses and burros

that served man for centuries

will be all but a memory

in the not so distant future

Their freedom once captured

the fantasies of millions

who dreamed and dared

to go west

and find their way

What should have been gratitude

ends in a legacy of servitude

the animals did not ask for

but gave nonetheless

The west will be silent

without the thunder of hooves

galloping across the open range

leaving dusty clouds

The silence of death

and dreams

for those trying to save them

and the horses and burros

who are now lost to us all

What a tragic tale of loss

stitched in time

by the warriors

who fought the good fight

to the bitter end

As their time runs out

and all hope seems lost

their souls will haunt the land

until the sun sets

for its last goodbye

- Staci-lee Sherwood

Also published on fevers of the mind May 17, 2022 https://feversofthemind.com/2022/05/17/2-new-poems-from-staci-lee-sherwood/

& as spoken word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7HS3mb-f2k&t=4s