ORIGIN: After looking at the first postcard, we felt like riding into the sunset. But fleeing is what birds do, so we decided to accept our fate and create something with saddles instead.
I like your t-shirt, those zebra stripes. Let me guess, you tried to tame what couldn’t be tamed. That’s how you lost your leg, isn’t it?
It was an honest mistake. I can’t be the only one that has heard of waves described as wild horses. I just wanted to rein those dreams in while I tried to find my sea legs. You see, I grew up with both feet on the ground and the word dream nowhere near my vocabulary. But one day I happened upon the Sea. There were no words. It was inspiration at first sight. It was overwhelming. Even the thought of dipping my toes in those starry waters made me feel like the world was about to tip on its axis. It was too much, too soon. I feared those wilds horses would stomp me down to hell, before I found the right words to describe heaven.
I was a lovesick fool. I was in over my head. Are those the musical notes you want to see coming out of my mouth? I wasn’t born with a creative bone in my body. But the bones that I was given were strong, and I could hold my breath. I found a siren song deep in my lungs. A fire that burned loud. Destruction was my calling, and I set out to litter the ocean floor with shipwrecks. But it wasn’t long before I drowned. These bones don’t feel like mine anymore. A muse has wrested control of my song. My lungs are brimming with musical notes written in smoke. And if I had known that creative types don’t have a say either, I wouldn’t have been so quick to fall in love out of spite.
Gloating is unbecoming, nobody likes a neighing horse. I know, I know. I should have known better, but hope is always the last monster to flee the box. I should have kept a tighter rein on my heart’s desire. But I let it run wild, until the cloud of dust in its wake spelled out greed, and now it’s too late. Greener pastures are calling my monster’s name. There is still gold out there, and I can’t help but follow my heart.
And here I thought horses preferred sugar cubes. I suppose I should thank you for going out of your way to rub salt in my wound. I never saw the appeal of being buried with treasures. When I return to dust, I want to leave something behind. Not gold. Something I hold dear. My words. But you are right. Even if I spent all the years I have left on this Earth baring my heart to a parakeet, nothing would come of my efforts. Birds fly. Meanings change. That’s freedom. That’s life. I don’t know why I ever thought that my heart could outlive me.
Show me your favorite broke horse. Words you heard and took home, somewhere you could twist them to your liking.
Actions have consequences. Sure, but there wasn’t a playground in my neighborhood, and I missed my chance to learn to play nice with other kids. I was homeschooled, and the first book that I read by choice gave me these words. Animals adapt to their surroundings, but people are control-freaks. People have a gift. For building. For razing nature to the ground and replacing it with something that better suits their needs. I have that gift too. And it would be a terrible shame to let it go to waste. Mother might not have taken me to the playground, but she taught me to say thank you with a smile on my face. And I can’t wait to destroy the world to my liking.
Thank you, mother, for teaching me to lie. You were right, no tool, no weapon will ever be more useful than a smile. I suppose I can see why teeth are called pearly whites. I don’t know what I would have done without their help. Though I have grown rather fond of the stains. They are the color of honey, and I like the sound flies make when they fly. That’s my happiness, right there, for all to hear. My heart beating outside my chest. Because happiness should never be contained.
I don’t know about horses, but I don’t look back, I only have eyes for what lies beyond horizon. There’s no predator chasing me. No guilty conscience. No regrets. That’s the beauty of following the sun. Tomorrow awaits west. Yesterdays remain east. Where they go up in smoke, in purples and pinks, at sunrise, never to be thought of again. While I keep running into the sunset, into oranges and reds, that blind with the best promises.
Here’s another saying for you. Once bitten, twice shy. Any dictator worth their name would tell you that brainwashing does the trick better than violence. Teeth can only cover so much ground, and nowadays words travel farther than ever before.
What do you have in that birdcage over there? Is that your truth? You hide it so well, I would never have guessed. You have done a commendable job taming your face, even your soul-bird doesn’t betray how you really feel. If this were a show, the blue ribbon would already be yours.
A little bird told you to burn in Hell? You must have misheard. There is no fire crackling here. It’s water under the bridge as far as the eye can see. There is nothing to forgive.
Selfish? Me? Take a better look, please. There are no fish swimming in my tears, not even the reflection of a bird. You will only see yourself in my tears. I give all I have selflessly.
Don’t flatter yourself. Bird wings are stronger than airplane wings. And even if that weren’t the case, their feathers would still be waterproof. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase like water off a duck’s back? You can’t hurt my feelings.
I am too old to still be playing with dolls. Grown-ups look the other way. That’s the rite of passage that lets us inherit this unchanging world. Now, kindly shut up, and watch me ignore you.
Good horses deserve a reward for letting you break their backs. No one expects you to set them free, just regale them with a heartbreaking tale. Who knows, maybe two wrongs will finally make a right.
Once upon a time a knight in shining armor saved a princess from a dragon. But that’s not allowed anymore. Nowadays princesses can save themselves.
Birds follow the sun. Winter only buries scarecrows in snow. However, all’s well that ends well. Because snow eventually thaws, and birds always find their way back home.
Love means putting someone else’s happiness first. Love is not selfish. But maybe you don’t know your synonyms. Here, let me help you. Bubbly. Happy. See? There’s a happy ending in store for you too.
Even monkeys fall from trees. Don’t waste your time striving for perfection. Life is not meant to be taken seriously. Nobody gives a monkey’s. So, just laugh, as boisterously as everybody else.