A BLESSING
by James Wright

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnosota
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their
   happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly, like wet swans. They love each other.
Their is no lonliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the
   darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
   into blossom.

Copyright ©1971 by James Wright. All rights reserved.