The horse has bolted

The bronze steed
Bright eyed and bristle browed
Waving at the door
Beckoning to you
Desiring of love and affection
He craves your heart and your touch
but also freedom, not containment

He swaggers around the paddock showing off
And gallops waywardly towards you
Then trots blithely away to faraway lands
To drink and laugh and love elsewhere

You attempt to unpick the story
Catching your reflection in the corner of his amber-flecked equine iris
He is in your blind spot
He bolts away and sets you free but
Your heart belongs to him even when you try lend it elsewhere
Nothing and no one compares.

He is a horse and a wolf
Blanketed by the skin of his latest catch
He promises love, delivers love, beautiful loving sex, then leaves…
Circumvents commitment while remaining committed to everyone and no one
Seeking curious adventure where the wind blows

Wild and free, with the promise of emancipation and love, you breathe him in

Then on the exhale, you are out to sea
Floating blindly in a salt water dinghy
forged from fibreglass and timber
The boat hot and smooth
Drifting soft and low
Lying on top of the burning hull
Lit up from a hot stone sun
Watching the water churn
and wondering how you got here