Taming the Flame

By Laurie Epps

In honor of Chinese New Year, I've got my first guest writer for my horse theme for the month of February. Please welcome Krystine Kercher who has graciously offered to share her poem with all of us.

Horses evoke such powerful images of loyalty, and majesty. Krystine's poem speaks to us about the relationship between a boy and his horse, albeit, that the horse is classically stubborn.

Her poem is part of an anthology, and to purchase a digital copy of the book, click here.

Photo courtesy of the Stride Photography in Ramona, CA**

Taming the Flame

©2013 Krystine Kercher

from A Shadow On The Land

The horse was like a tongue of flame,

It darted about and whipped its mane,

The lad mounted up, the horse shook him off,

With a flick and a lick and a swish of bright tail.

The boy did not this toss regard,

He got back up and rode him hard,

The horse did wheel, and spring and stop

And the lad hit the ground with a nasty jar.

Then Ethan Harris shook his head

And cleared his eyes and left his bed,

He wooed that horse and caught its eye,

And then the horse began to shy.

"Now don't you think you're going to fly,"

The lad said to the horse real spry.

"You've dumped me twice; you dumped me nice,

But now there's no way I'll quit my turn."

He grabbed the horse beneath the chin,

Cinched the halter up real tight,

He jumped upon the flame-horse's back,

And then they too began to fight.

They disappeared in a cloud of dust,

A whirling, a twirling and kicking and fuss,

A biting and slapping and the whirlwind to pay,

And when it stopped, the horse had turned gray.

The lad sat proud an hour more,

His limbs shook tired, his back ached sore,

But Flame was tamed, his antics stopped,

And all for Achin' Harris!

**Note: For more information on photograph, or to have captivating keepsakes like this taken of your little darling, log onto: 
http://thestridephotography.yolasite.com/ for information.

Krystine Kercher is a former MK (missionary kid) from West Papua, Indonesia, where she grew up having lots of adventures with her friends in the expat and local communities.

Now she writes fantasy and science fiction from a Christian perspective while sharing her love of adventure with her readers!

Krystine is also a mother to two children who like to read her books. She loves her tuxedo cat, Shelah, who is by turns naughty and affectionate. She also loves gardening, sewing, and creating artwork using a variety of media.