Now it almost sounds like the horse betrayed her at the end? It sounds like her and the horse were cohorts and when she got caught and arrested as a horse thief, Bess didn't corroborate her story. She first assumes Bess has not betrayed her: "by the time you realized I was dying, must have been to late I believe you were not lying." Then Bess shows up to the hanging and the speaker realizes she is letting her go down. The last few lines are heartbreaking where she is forgiving Bess as she dies and is just content to reminisce; "forever I'll listen to your glad neighing."
It puts in my head the image of a little girl who goes out playing with a horse, riding around and letting her imagination run wild, believing that her and the horse are best friends. Then she gets in trouble with her parents for taking the horse out and suddenly, the spell is broken and it ceases to be her accomplice and just becomes a regular horse again. She is heartbroken at the betrayal. Don't you remember all the adventures we were just on together? Can't you tell them we were in on it together? Nope just a horse.
A line that stuck out to me:
"Dangling entrails from the gut of the sea"
My first thought is what the hell is she talking about here. Then I get the imagery of a horse dragging seaweed along the beach. I love how she always has a way of saying things like no one else would. It reminds me of the line from monkey and bear, "And with a sigh, she allowed the burden of belly to drop like an apron full of boulders." Which is a poetic way to say that bear took a shit.
Now it almost sounds like the horse betrayed her at the end? It sounds like her and the horse were cohorts and when she got caught and arrested as a horse thief, Bess didn't corroborate her story. She first assumes Bess has not betrayed her: "by the time you realized I was dying, must have been to late I believe you were not lying." Then Bess shows up to the hanging and the speaker realizes she is letting her go down. The last few lines are heartbreaking where she is forgiving Bess as she dies and is just content to reminisce; "forever I'll listen to your glad neighing."
It puts in my head the image of a little girl who goes out playing with a horse, riding around and letting her imagination run wild, believing that her and the horse are best friends. Then she gets in trouble with her parents for taking the horse out and suddenly, the spell is broken and it ceases to be her accomplice and just becomes a regular horse again. She is heartbroken at the betrayal. Don't you remember all the adventures we were just on together? Can't you tell them we were in on it together? Nope just a horse.
A line that stuck out to me:
"Dangling entrails from the gut of the sea"
My first thought is what the hell is she talking about here. Then I get the imagery of a horse dragging seaweed along the beach. I love how she always has a way of saying things like no one else would. It reminds me of the line from monkey and bear, "And with a sigh, she allowed the burden of belly to drop like an apron full of boulders." Which is a poetic way to say that bear took a shit.