By Stuart MacFarlane
I
What is this strange apparition
shining in the morning mist?
Glimpsed through a thin line of trees
it appears like a magical palace;
yet with its spiral towers, its great walls,
like battlements, it seems more than that;
like a castle outpost, stranded
somewhere on the Russian Steppes.
The mist hangs a few feet above
the ground, and, through the mist,
shafts of sunlight pierce the grass,
where a layer of frost sparkles;
as if a thousand diamonds
are scattered lie.
And, in my mind's eye, now I see
a black horse emerge from the trees
on which a Cossack, robed in red,
sits proudly on the saddle.
The rider pulls hard on the reins.
A plume of smoke rises
from the horse's nostrils;
it warmly mingles with the cold of mist.
The horse is restless; hooves stamping
off the frosty ground.
II
And, from across the field, another horse appears.
This one white; on which is mounted
a second Cossack, his blood red tunic,
splendid in the sun.
He, too, restrains his powerful steed;
tugging hard on the reins,
suppressing the animal's spirit.
There, the field gapes between them;
two hundred yards of open ground.
A sudden scrape of metal; and their keen sabres
flash menacingly in the morning light.
Gloved hands loosen on leather reins;
metal stirrups dig into the flanks
of the great horses.
They charge; each one briefly caught
in a sudden sunbeam.
Faster -- then faster still.
Pounding of hearts, surge of blood;
eye of horses and men, alike, intent on
a terrible imminence.
Sabres raised higher now, cold blades
cutting at the fleeing air.
A final glint of light.
A devilish cry rends the heart of the morning
and the clash of sabres jangles
in the mist.
Stuart MacFarlane is now semi-retired. He taught English for many years to asylum seekers in London. He has had poems published in a few online journals.
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