Poetry: Pondering Kelpies

Pondering Kelpies

Little Scottish girls might once have had a tendency to fear horses.
Such a shame, really. But it is the cost of their mythology, their frightening
Campfire-style bedtime stories. The Scottish believe, or once believed,
That a water demon would cause drowning of humans by turning
Into a large, gray, and lovely mare, inviting those to follow her through
A foggy night. (Because, of course, all demons must be evil and malicious.)

When the horses galloped over the meadowlands of the past, did the girls
Ever scream in terror and run from the thunder of the “murderers”?
Perhaps the sons did as well; perhaps all were equally frightened of being
Led astray and plunged into the icy depths of their surroundings,
After they spent so long easing away from the black that they all believed
They were safe where they were. Perhaps horses, the most useful
Of working animals, were not always trusted and were therefore sadly
Abused for reasons they would never understand. But surely, this does not
Matter. In the 21st, surely, there are no longer water demons on our lands
Waiting to drag us below their rippling obsidian waves.