Dark Horses
She couldn’t leave the house.
But still her incendiary kindness knew no bounds,
hooves thundering,
the first of its kind.
Black Beauty. A legend, now
but back then they called you powerless
to do what you could do so well.
Anna’s little thing, a trail blazer sold for twenty pounds
breaking new ground,
hope and imagination making possible the impossible.
Blazing away reigns revealing humanity,
unworthy. Guardians, unsound.
Greed, oppression – an illness,
through kindness, defeated.
A voice for the vulnerable.
In vulnerability,
her strength profound.
While all around her,
the garden
sang, as her voice sang,
pansies pert, bees flying, beeches glowing
with wild flowers at their feet.
Listen, they knew
something we are all remembering.
The wild darkness is coming.
Dark horses,
rising, thundering
back from the dead, bringing kindness
back to beauty and humankind,
Amen.
Share your love now. Show mercy. Leave nothing unsaid.
Ruthie Collins, 2020
‘Dark Horses’ was written in honour of Anna Sewell, author of Black Beauty, who wrote the novel while housebound over six years, to inspire ‘sympathy’ for horses. Her legacy of resilience and kindness in the face of adversity, resonates in current times. ‘Dark Horses’ has been printed by Norwich Printing Museum & John Jarrold Heritage Collection using a heritage letterpress.
To celebrate her legacy, am running free creative writing workshops this September, for women with charity Feathers Futures, funded by Norfolk County Council. Note that these workshops will be facilitated online from Norfolk, with a face to face meet up planned in Great Yarmouth, when safe to do so.
Please email us on ruthie@ruthiecollins.co.uk / admin@feathersfutures.org to enrol, there’s plenty of material to be enjoying before the workshops start, from Black Beauty itself, to films, quotes and extra reading.
Happy Birthday Anna Sewell #annasewell200
