Of the Thunder of Hooves, a Poem
Of the Thunder of Hooves
Ominous storm clouds gather and swirl,
Changing form like a gathering of eerie shape-shifters.
As I stare at the turbulent late afternoon sky in awe
They transform into a dozen black stallions.
Their ghostly riders pulling the reins
In a hesitant and temporary restraint,
Until the time is right
And the angry steeds can be released
To wreak their havoc.
More and more dark horses join the herd,
Bucking and snorting as they move slowly closer.
Lightning flashes in the distance,
And I recall "the Charge of the Light Brigade"
At the Battle of Balaclava,
And the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Suddenly, the spectres release the reins
As there is a loud CRASH!
And the sound of the thunder of hooves can be heard
Galloping fearlessly across the sky.
Thunder claps, lightning strikes, and rain buckets down
In this cumulonimbus assault from the heavens.
Is this a sign from an angry God
Disappointed with his creation,
Or just his wish to demonstrate
A small sample of his awesome power?
Fierce winds howl and rage,
Trees are snapped, houses unroofed, power supply lost.
But in the blink of an eye,
Almost over before it starts.
The sky lightens, as the ghostly horses gallop away,
Disappearing back to their heavenly stables.
Off the Shelf
I strayed away from my "Off the Shelf" series with my last poem, but here I am returning to a form of inspiration that's been working so well for me.
Of the Thunder of Hooves by Ian H Sabey is actually a rewrite of a story called "Mountain Rogue" which the author wrote in the winter of 1943 when he was a prisoner in a concentration camp in Germany during WWII. (I couldn't find the book on Amazon, but it is available at the above link through Biblio.com.au)
Prior to enlisting as a gunner in the A.I.F. Ian Sabey had been an Adelaide journalist. In addition to establishing a British P.O.W. paper, he taught journalism to 35 fellow prisoners.
In the author's words, "the work was done entirely away from ordinary surroundings under almost impossible conditions, and for the smallest circulation in the world - a Digger from Queensland suffering from nephritis, who had lost interest in this world and seemed booked for another."
Of the Thunder of Hooves is the story of an Australian wild horse, or in fact, many horses which have thundered down valleys and across streams, finally to appear on racecourses for what they call "The Sport of Kings."
Ian H Sabey's story is such an interesting one that I could probably have written a whole article about his life, and I may do so at a later date. But hopefully, this snippet gives you some insight.
© 2018 John Hansen
Comments
AUTHORThanks Stive, Yes, that would be the perfect time to sit and read it.
I liked this poem. It will be a good read also in the midst of the next typhoon perhaps.
- AUTHOR
Than you Nell, glad you enjoyed the poem and bit of history I implied out the author Ian H Sabey. I was also intrigued by his story and had intended to write more about him, unfortunately apart from what is written in the forward of this book I can’t find anything.
Lovely poem John, and how amazing that man writing while a prisoner in WW2. I may just read it. Thank you.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Lawrence. Your comment is much appreciated. Glad you enjoyed it.
John
The images here are so vivid. Really enjoyed this.
- AUTHOR
Hi again, Tim. I am so pleased you enjoyed this work. It means a lot when a writer of your caliber praises one’s humble piece of writing. Much respect for you also.
Hi, John,
Loved this poem. It reminded me of watching the wild herd on Corolla Beach here although not as spectacular as your work.
This was wonderful and I loved the way you tied in a classic poem, too.
Enjoyed it immensely.
Much respect,
Tim
- AUTHOR
Thank you for reading another of my poems Devika. Take care.
A great imagination you have with this poem. Reminds of when we storms in Croatia. It can get destructive.
- AUTHOR
Flourish, I am fortunate to live in a part of the world that gets very few tornados, and those that Australia does get usually occur in the unpopulated areas. I hope you and your family remain safe and little damage is done during the current sequence. Thanks for reading and commenting here.
This was a powerful poem and reminded me a lot of the destructiveness of tornadoes. My area has had a large number of them in the past week.
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- AUTHOR
Thank you for reading this poem, Beth. I am happy that you good feel the atmosphere and found the snippet n Ian H Sabey interesting.
Love this poem; made me feel like I was right there in the middle of the storm, hearing the stallions and feeling the thunder crash around me! And the info about Mr. Sabey very interesting.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Rinita :)
Dana, thank you for asking about John's books. I would love to get my hands on them as well. I'll let you know when I do, John.
- AUTHOR
Dana, thank you again for showing interest in my work. I hope you enjoy whichever book you intend to order.
Okay, I'm going to order it and let you know what I think. I agree that you have grown tremendously as a writer/poet. Looking forward to reading your work.
- AUTHOR
Hi Dana,
Thanks for asking. I have an eBook called "I Laughed a Smile" available on Lulu.com
which is really a collection of my earliest poetry here at HubPages. I think my writing has improved a lot since.
I published a paperback anthology via The Creative Exiles website I belong to in which I have 13 of my poems along with those of other poets. It has poetry of mine you would not have read before and is available on Amazon. The book is called The Creative Exiles "Let the Words Speak."
I remember you wrote a book of poetry. Can I have the website again?
- AUTHOR
I too am enthralled by watching storms develop, Shannon. I have never been in a tornado though and it would surely be different. Thanks for sharing that, and yes I will try free verse more often.
- AUTHOR
Thanks you for reading and enjoying this Kyokusiima. Your comment is much appreciated.
This reminds me of the time I watched a storm literally roll in from the top of my friend's roof. We knew we needed to get down, but we were awestruck for a few minutes watching the angry clouds tumble over one another. Probably a good thing we snapped out of it, though, because the tornado sirens sounded. LOL
I suppose the sky is the race track for those wild galloping ghosts. I enjoyed this. You should try free verse more often.
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Superb and great. Such a powerful imagination. Thanks for writing.
- AUTHOR
Yes, it is Shauna...free verse. I usually rhyme but felt like being different. Glad you enjoyed this.
John, this is a different style of poetry for you. Mother Nature is a powerful force. Indeed, sometimes it sounds as if a herd of horses are disturbing the skies to wreak havoc on Earth.
Nice job!
- AUTHOR
Paula, thank you so much for those kind words. Ok, I think you have convinced me to research Ian Sabey's life more and write about him. Thanks for the encouragement.
Jodah....You are a Master of Poetry, always exciting, creating inspiration. I hear the thunder as imagery of magnificent horses take my breath away. You have decorated Sabey's "Mountain Rogue," with the blessing of your talent. I encourage you to write of his life and look forward to such a work of art. Peace, Paula
- AUTHOR
Thank you for the generous comment, Dana. This was one of my few free-verse poems, I guess I should write them more often.
As for the elfin children, I have never continued the series further, unfortunately. I was considering making it into a children's book series but was told it was too much like some other author's story so I sort of lost interest. I may be inspired to continue it in future, we shall see. Sorry to disappoint your young cousins.
- AUTHOR
Mark, glad you could feel the thundering hooves in that coffee shop lol. Thank you for reading and commenting as always.
Very creative John, no words could explain how impressed I am with how you weave words together by looking at pictures. A true creative. And, I would say this is definitely one of your best, in my book at least anyway.
By the way whatever happened to the little elfin kid's? Did they ever venture into the outside world? For the longest time my little cousins were waiting for the continuation but unfortunately, those little boys are a lot older now.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Linda. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it’s much more wonderful to hear or read the words and form your own vision in your mind. Much appreciated.
John, I felt those thundering hooves even in a laid-back coffee shop in Sana Barbara while several men were blacktopping a parking lot across the way. Powerful poem.
John, masterfully written. The words were so well chosen no illustrations were needed.
- AUTHOR
Yes, I guess the publishing of this poem was unintentionally timely, with typhoon Florence on the warpath, Genna. Thank you for the very generous comment.
The image of Florence came immediately to mind with the title and opening photo John, and the very first lines of this powerful poem. I just loved this! On the Thunder of Hooves is some of your best work.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Londa. I try to find photos to suit as best I can.
I love your imagination and the idea of of wild horses in the storm. Your poem matches the photos beautifully, John.
- AUTHOR
Thanks a lot, Clive. A play, you say?
- AUTHOR
Hi Mike. Thank you for that kind comment. I am going to do more research into Ian H Sabey and possibly write an article about it.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Bill, I really appreciate that comment a lot coming from a writer of your calibre.
Quite and imaginative piece. Could fit well in a short play.
Hello John - Quite the rousing piece of writing. The backstory pales in comparison. Being a prisoner of war was no picnic.
The imagery of your poetry was compelling.
- AUTHOR
Sean glad the imagery created by my words could be seen clearly in your mind glad you enjoyed both the poem and the pictures. Take care brother.
- AUTHOR
Hey, Eric. The book by Ian Sabey was probably partly inspired by Man From Snowy River poem/story, and it is a wonderful tale. Glad you enjoyed reading this poem.
A fantastic and powerful poem which created amazing images in my mind! Thank you, my dear brother!
Excellent choice of pictures too!
Admiration!
Sean
Fantastic. Reminded me of the four horsemen and "The Man From Snowy River" One of my top ten movies. Thanks a bunch for this.
- AUTHOR
Mary, I also love to watch a storm build up as it approaches. As long as it doesn't turn violent and destructive like the one I describe.
- AUTHOR
Manatita, thank you for that positive and encouraging comment. Yes, Ian H Sabey's story certainly is an interesting one.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for the wonderful comment, Ann. I guess this poem is quite timely with the hurricane hitting Carolina and another the Philippines.
Truly a wonderful metaphor, my friend. Loved the storm/stallion comparison. Beautifully written!
- AUTHOR
Li-Jen, I am glad to hear that comparing thunder to the horses' hooves has made it more exciting. Thank you for sharing the things you liked about the poem as well. I enjoy it when people read my work closely.
Jodah, many times as a child, I have witnessed this. My husband likes to put a chair in the boat house to witness the coming of a storm. Nothing like the one you describe though and nothing like the ones I witnessed as a child when roofs go off and hooves bring destruction to many lives.
The story of Ian H Sabey is interesting. I perceived the poem in a different way, as I thought it tied in well with the recent hurricane difficulties, the second half merging so well with the theme so exquisitely developed in the first half. Powerful poem!
This is a brilliant poem, John! I love the imagery - of your words and as well as the illustrations. Your word-crafting here is of the highest standard. You describe the build-up, the storm and the aftermath so vividly and the rhythm is perfect. It also reminded me of the images I saw on the television this morning, of the hurricane in North and South Carolina; terrifying and destructive.
An interesting background to this poem, John. As you say, worth an article in itself.
Superb!
Ann
Hey Jodah, now that you mentioned the thunder of hooves, thunder is more exciting haha. The rhythm "Thunder claps, lightning strikes, and rain buckets down" mimics the gallops of horses. I like how you added some realities like power outage and show that the horses have to return to their heavenly stables. I like your humour when you said you recall "the Charge of the Light Brigade" and how you divided your poem into the phases of a storm..from how the horses gathered to form bigger dark clouds, the lighting flashes to the end, the sky lightens. Thanks for sharing. :)
- AUTHOR
Hi Rinita, thank you for being the first to read this, and also for your generous comment. I knew I had seen images like this before but it was a matter of finding the right ones, yes. I'm glad was able to capture a feeling of exhilaration and fear.
This is surreal imagery, John. I think it might have been hard to find the right pictures, too. The shape of the clouds transforming to horses was exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Loved this. You, are the master!
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