“My Invisible Horse and the Speed of Human Decency” by faculty member Matthew Olzmann (poetry ’09)
An excerpt from a poem by faculty member Matthew Olzmann (poetry ’09), published in Poem-a-Day on October 22, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.
My Invisible Horse and the Speed of Human Decency
People always tell me, “Don’t put the cart
before the horse,” which is curious
because I don’t have a horse.
Is this some new advancement in public shaming—
repeatedly drawing one’s attention
to that which one is currently not, and never
has been, in possession of?
If ever, I happen to obtain a Clydesdale,
then I’ll align, absolutely, it to its proper position
in relation to the cart, but I can’t
do that because all I have is the cart.
One solitary cart—a little grief wagon that goes
precisely nowhere—along with, apparently, one
invisible horse, which does not pull,
does not haul, does not in any fashion
budge, impel or tow my disaster buggy
up the hill or down the road.
I’m not asking for much. A more tender world
with less hatred strutting the streets.
[…continue reading at poets.org.]
