Author Archives: ridefireflyfarm

Ponies gather at the gates as a hearty vibrato echoes through the indoor arena. Phoenix digs at the earth, her hoof splattering muddy water. Lexi nods her head. Twist’s ears prick, and Dusty yawns. Braveheart blinks as water rivulets trail down his face.

“Cheeseburger in Paradise, Heaven on earth with an onion slice, not too particular, not too precise–it’s just a Cheeseburger in Paradise…”

Jimmy Buffett loves horses. He would embrace this use of his “Margaritaville” CD set.

“Oh, whoa, whoa, Jolly Mon sing…”

He would, perhaps, balk at soprano overtones, but whatever.

Phoenix redoubles her pawing, nodding her head in time with the music. Lexi shakes her entire body, shivering off a layer of chocolate water and hair. Twist sighs and snorts. Dusty and Braveheart engage in a game of “Who will move his feet first?”, biting the other’s neck.

I open the boys’ gate, and they can’t run in fast enough.

I open the girls’ gate just in time–”Hey, where did we go, Days when the rains came…” Water beats a heavy tattoo across the indoor arena’s roof as I serenade the two “Brown-Eyed Girls” into stalls with Jimmy Buffett’s cover of the Van Morrison song.

I pour grain into each stall feeder as the gentle strains of a foreign tongue soar through the air. “Ia ora te naturaj, E mea arofa teie ao nei…” 

It’s almost time.

I let the boys and girls out; the girls back into their pasture, but the boys trot into the meadow.

“Lakes below the mountain, Flowin’ to the sea…”

It’s almost time.

I breathe deeply, remembering not to strain; to allow the notes to float freely from my center. The electric guitars fade, and suddenly, there’s nothing. Silence permeates the barn and I feel empty.

It’s time.

I skip to the CD player and press a button.

“Nibblin’ on sponge cake, watchin’ the sun bake, all of those tourists covered with oil…”

Ahh.

I allow the words to flow forth as Lexi and Phoenix enjoy dinner and a show.