Fallen Fortune
I heard you cried
When the yearling died
All that money lost
And precious time.
The deal you made
With the industry devil
Did not pay the way
You dreamed it would.
On the road to Kentucky
When you hauled your mare
To a proven stallion breeding camp
Like boxed-up Amazon Prime.
After all that work Good Fortune
Fell and broke a leg
You had him burned
Then buried on dead horse hill.
Do you think mother mare
Will forgive and forget?
I would not make that bet.
Ronda Cooperstein is a retired prison librarian and currently serves as co-chairperson of Baltimore Peace Action. She is a member of HorseracingWrongs (www.horseracingwrongs.org) and other animal rights organizations. Ronda has written and had several plays produced locally and was the winner of the 2000 Baltimore Playwrights Festival. Aside from her writing endeavors, Ronda also works regularly making collages with flowers, and has a website with her artwork.
Thank you, Ronda, for your tireless advocacy for the horses. Horseracing is cruel and is propped by by taxpayer subsidies in Maryland – $95 Million a year. Maryland residents are unwillingly paying for the continued abuse and killing of innocent horses for gambling and entertainment. 397 horses have died at Maryland tracks since 2014. Thank you for being a strong voice for the horses.
So true and heartfelt. Beautiful poem
Excellent poem, Ronda. I am amazed by your way with words. Thank you!
Beautiful poem about a cruel sport. Maybe someday society will advance enough, as it has done with dog fighting, to finally outlaw horse racing.