Mary J Harper

The Horse He Came Back For When the horses scattered, everyone expected him to return with the black one. He came back on foot. The storm had swept across the plain before midday, driving rain so hard that the hills disappeared. By evening, most of the loose horses had been found. But the black horse with the pale face was still missing. “You’ll have to leave him until morning,” his brother said. The young warrior looked towards the darkening grassland. He knew the horse had an old injury that troubled him on uneven ground. “I’ll take the lower trail.” His brother handed him a blanket and said he would keep watch for his return. He found the horse near a shallow gully, standing beneath the broken limbs of a fallen tree. One hind leg was caught between two branches. Each time he struggled, the wood shifted and held him tighter. The man stopped a few paces away and spoke. The horse’s ears turned towards him. “There you are.” He kept talking as he approached, using the same ordinary voice he used when bringing water or brushing mud from the long black mane. When he reached the trapped leg, he crouched and examined the branches. One would have to move. He pulled until his shoulders burned. The branch lifted a little, then settled back. The horse shifted, frightened by the movement, and the man stepped clear. For several moments, neither moved. Then he found a stout piece of fallen wood and worked it beneath the branch. Slowly, using it as a lever, he made enough space. The horse dragged his leg free. Relief almost brought the man to his knees. He waited while the animal steadied, then checked for wounds. There were scrapes, and the leg was tender, but the horse could bear weight. They began the journey home together. It was painfully slow. Every few minutes, the man stopped to let him rest. Once, the horse pressed his broad forehead against the man’s shoulder, and they stood like that beneath the clearing sky. Near midnight, a light appeared ahead. His brother was coming down the trail. “I thought you’d be riding,” he called. “He’s sore.” His brother came closer, looked at the horse, then took the blanket from the younger man’s arm and settled it across his shoulders. “You’re shaking.” Only then did he notice how cold he was. The three of them walked the remaining distance together. At home, there was water waiting, a sheltered place for the horse, and someone holding open the door. Years afterwards, he would remember very little of the storm. He remembered finding the horse. He remembered his brother’s light. And he remembered how good it felt when they could all finally stop walking. Who has gone out of their way to make sure you got home safely? ✨🙌🏾💫

It has been one of the greatest and most difficult years of my life. I learned everything is temporary. Moments. Feelings. People. Flowers. I learned love is about giving- everything- and letting it hurt. I learned vulnerability is always the right choice because it is easy to be cold in a world that makes it so very difficult to remain soft. I learned all things come in twos: life and death, pain and joy, sugar and salt, me and you. It is the balance of the universe. It has been the year of hurting so bad but living so good, making friends out of strangers, making strangers out of friends. We must learn to focus on warm energy, always. Soak our limbs in it and become better lovers to the world, for if we can't learn to be kinder to each other how will we ever learn to be kinder to the most desperate parts of ourselves. ✨🙌🏾💫