By Sydney ___________________________
In a wooden stable
lived two horses
with backs equally strong,
yet hearts turned in different directions.
One ran since dawn,
pulling plows, hauling burdens,
measuring his days
by the sweat that fell to the earth.
The other worked from time to time,
but more often gazed at the meadow,
counting the wind,
breathing in the scent of wild grass
and a life not yet lived.
One evening he asked,
“Why do you never stop?
The wide fields are waiting,
young grass grows beyond the fence,
even the mares run free
behind the hills.”
The working horse shook his head softly.
“I love my master.
He feeds me,
gives me shelter,
protects me from rain and night.
What else could I offer
but all my strength?”
“Do you never grow tired?” the other asked.
“Tiredness is the price of loyalty,”
he answered firmly.
“Do we not live because of him?
If I devote myself completely,
one day I shall die
with honor upon the saddle.”
Seasons passed.
The horse who longed for the meadow
one day truly leapt the fence.
He found grass, found a mare, found foals
with short manes and eyes full of sky.
He still returned at times,
pulling his share of burden,
then leaving before dusk
grew too heavy.
Meanwhile,
the horse loyal without pause
kept dragging day after day.
His strength faded slowly,
his coughing grew more frequent
between commands.
One morning his master forced him out.
Not to work but because his back
was no longer strong enough.
He refused to go. His legs trembled,
his breath split like old wood.
He had given everything,
yet never learned
to give life to himself.
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