they clamp their bits in the riding ring <br />kicking the sawdust behind them <br />all day the children mount and pace <br />and when the animals rest <br />steam rises from their bodies like prayer <br />and they turn their heads and snort <br />when the last class is over <br />and the girls ride home in silence <br />in their vans <br />the horses are let out <br />to find solace in the grass<br /><br />Mike Finley<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/horses-work-hard/
