A lone gunshot, and a million cheers
Springing forward, with all my might
Leaving them behind, all my peers
Gliding effortlessly, like an eagle's flight
The end line nears, I sprint harder
Cheers go deafening, colours so bright
Crying themselves hoarse, voices louder
End line welcomes, full of delight
My rider dismounts, hands in the air
Poses for shutterbugs, trophy in hands
I trot along, slowly, deliberately,
Alongside me, my proud rider stands
The day sets, and another comes
Out come the papers, a coverage too
My rider picks it, and glances at it
I see something flicker, an emotion anew
If I didn't know him, I wouldn't know
The shadow that passed, a tiny bit of it
A hint of embarrassment, of shame, I guess
He looked at me funnily, I have to admit
I saw something die, something fade
It almost seemed like a wall was built
The rider smiled, making up to me
To hide what I'd seen, to cover the guilt
I snorted, and stamped around
He too knew that I had guessed,
The passing shadow, the flickering
Having no choice, he confessed
"I look so good, holding that cup
And you did pretty well, in the race
But look at those cock-eyes,
At your funny, lopsided face"
A knife sliced through me, and that hurt
Race was forgotten, but not the face
Cock eyes got noticed, not the hooves
That ran with vigour, at breakneck pace
I wondered deep inside, if it was true
Humans just like to ignore what's good
What matters not the mind or soul
But only the face covered by a hood..................
- Pritesh
(PS: Image courtesy - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-0It7OLNLpK3UgCy7qITMXDbBo3NPNdswil2QBVmbZRuvhwCZSuKdVop4Zq7aXu_AhQaP3VtwOESxdveHQ33VaC6CW8T4_Ah8hArUyHuG83kang601Ke9IASXoM-RiX4H5YSfO5wdnUj/s1600/Quarter+Horse+at+a+Gallop-IMG_1454.jpg)
