The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli, 1781
"In training, the whip must be used sparingly. But it must be used."
—horse trainer's adage
At the practice track, when we owned a Standard-bred pacer.
How happy we were, new young owners of a Standard-bred pacer.
How happy to "own" an animal, and a Standard-bred pacer!
How dazed by the pounding hooves, the black bulbs of eyes
swinging past, shivering and whinnying like the dream horse
is Fuseli's "The Nightmare."
We were happy then, not-knowing our future.
We were innocent then, and tenderly-loving.
We were not cruel, by design. Any more than you.
(We are Americans and not of those crude folk
who eat horseflesh though we feed it to our pets, later.)
At the practice track north of Clinton, New Jersey.
...The Little Whip by Joyce Carol Oates, Princeton
Dr. Oates never ceases to amaze me with her ability to associate classical art and contemporary cruelty. What did you feed the dog today? A superior animal?
See you at Rutgers Day on the Great Lawn in front of Eagleton!
Keep reading and writing,
Maureen
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