The Foam Hung White on His Quivering Lip

The Foam Hung White on His Quivering Lip
    (from a phrase by Nathaniel Hawthorne)

When something is awry with a horse,
you can see it in their eyes if you have
the heart to look.

The Arabian colt stood, sweating and
shaking at the tie rack, shying at
shadows as people waked past.

His right eye was swelling closed.

“He ran into a wall, that one…”
came the explanation of the trainer,
whose lips were covered with white foam.

“He punched me”
came the reply of the horse.

To this day, I believe the horse.