They said he was untameable
and afraid of his own shadow,
branded skittish with an ox head,
none could soothe his rodeo.
The gentling of Bucephalus
began with the gentle whispers
and flourished into fraternity
without saddle, reins or spurs.
They camped under starless skies,
future king and Thessalian steed,
faced the sting of metal
and watched men bleed.
Too many men and horses died in battle
to the song of war cries and weapons’ rattle.
Kim M. Russell
Linked to Poets and Storytellers United Writers’ Pantry
Those of you who have been reading my blog for some time know that I love image prompts and have had a number of ekphrastic poems published online by Visual Verse. On Friday I was honoured to have a poem published by The Ekphrastic Review in their latest fortnightly prompt. The collection is of a very high standard and poets include two of our on-line friends, Kerfe Roig and Merril D. Smith. You can read all the poems here.
writing in north norfolk 
Congratulations, Kim! I like your poem, and its clever rhyming.
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Thank you, Rosemary!
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Lovely to read another ekphrastic piece, Kim. I’ve got so bogged down by the pandemic, I haven’t been able to write to a single prompt. Even regular writing is like a slow drip. Am glad you’re at it though, so I get to read your work!
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Thank you, Rajani. I struggled after I got back from visiting my daughter and grandson, but I can’t go for long without prompts! I’m hosting the dIverse Quadrille prompt on 7th September. Come and join us.😊
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I stopped joining dverse only because of the time difference. By the time I get to it, most people have already linked and read and moved on. So, I gave up after a while. 😦
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The Monday prompts are open all week.
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Very few visits happen if you get there late… at least that was my limited experience. But it is a great platform and the prompts are great as are the poets who link there.
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Fourteen fine lines, both here and in the review. Congrats, KR.
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Thanks Ron.
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Gorgeous writing Kim.
Happy Sunday
Much💝love
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Thank you, Gillena. Happy Sunday and much love to you too. ❤
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History should be taught this way, as in the days of Irish oral bards.
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That would be good.
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I like this poem. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Lovely story, even with the sadness at the end.
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Thanks Wyndolynne.
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Stellar wordsmithing. “Too many men have died in battle” …. period! Young men die fighting old mens’ wars.
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Thank you, Bev.
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The imagery took me to a surreal cowboy land. I love the mystery (perhaps, even eeriness) of the voice. And the final “rattle” added to the setting in my mind. I know it was describing the sound of the weapons. But the word brought thoughts of rattlesnakes and deserts, which fits my mental image of cowboy lands.
Congrats on the publication, Kim!
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Thank you, Magaly!
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Congratulations Kim.Well done !
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Thank you!
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Perfect companion of word and image. Great line: “fraternity without saddle.”
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Thank you.
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This feels like it could be part of a larger epic.Perhaps?
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Something to think about, Joel.
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This story is as old as the human race. The names change. The weapons become more deadly. But it’s the same story.
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That’s the problem. Humans never learn.
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