When I Am An Old Horsewoman

I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
And a straw hat that doesn’t suite me.
And I shall spend my social security on white wine and 
carrots,
And sit in the alleyway of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
And ride the old bay mare, 
Across the moonstruck meadow
If my old bones will allow.

And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
As I walk past the gardens to the barn and show instead the 
flowers growing
Inside stalls fresh-lined with straw.
I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it 
were a jewel.

And I will be an embarrassment to all,
Who will not yet have found the peace in being free to have 
a horse as a best 
friend,
A friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the kind of woman I will be
When I am old.

-Author unknown