The Atlantic | April 2004 | Lunge With Martha

Contents | April 2004

More on poetry from The Atlantic Monthly.

The Atlantic Monthly | April 2004

Lunge With Martha

by Jonathan Musgrove

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Hear the author read this poem (in RealAudio)

Tell me again how you raised up
in the stirrups, held on tight
with your thighs, riding the colt
in circles with me as anchor
holding the lead and spinning
on my heels. Did you canter or
trot? I can't tell the difference,
but our Arabian didn't kick
or try to throw you that day.
Could you feel strength in my back,
arms, shoulders, through the line?
I see you now bouncing in black
and white, as in a film or poem:
I, the hero, would never let go.

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Jonathan Musgrove is a poet, a teacher, and a poultry farmer who lives in Long Shop, Virginia.