Often our Write Away Day attendees tell us that the place itself inspires their work—the landscape, the buildings, the trees, the deer, and the stone-lined paths. On our last Write Away day, a sudden change in weather inspired several dramatic scenes, and a reflective writing session on the side-porch inspired this poem by local writer Kathleen Burke. We asked Kathleen if we could share it. Hope it inspires you to consider attending our next Write Away Day!
The Writing Barn
Outside the old horse barn remains a circle of logs spiked
to the ground where horses trained.
Grass, knee-high fills it’s center holding space,
a fox skeleton at it’s rim marks time.
Now home to a stable of writers, the over-sized doors
have been reframed for new, agenda laden habitants.
An apt muse the Horse-
creatures of sensual perception:
with mood indicating ears.
breed familiarity through smell,
like salty and sweet,
sensitive to touch (especially around the head),
have large vision and points of view
and long memories which do forgive
and don’t forget.
The only species dominated by movement
encourages one to keep pushing pen over paper.
A big old garage wouldn’t work-
they only house horseless carriages.
-Kathleen Burke
What a fantastic poem. I never thought of the horses that lived in the barn before it became a writing barn! Judy K.