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It was a
quiet and somewhat sultry day,
They moved
as a team that was plain,
For Joanne
rode Goldie, her very special friend,
Along the
narrow countryside lane.
As a horse he was at the very top of the tree, And at the top of the milk he was the cream! With such a wonderfully sounding name, The irrepressible 'Golden Dream'.
They were
thinking, as they rode, of their former days,
When they
had won just everything in sight,
Because,
in any riding competition,
This pair
put up a very good fight.
They loved
it best when they galloped at speed.
As a
partnership they were very well ‘gelled’,
Leaving the
others so far behind,
Because
Goldie ran, as if jet propelled.
Team chase
had to be their favourite sport.
And Goldie
would go off like a shot.
Up hill,
down dale, didn’t make any odds,
For Goldie
was certainly red hot.
It wasn’t
only on straight courses, you know.
For
he could
always take a very good bend.
They loved
each other so very much,
And
couldn’t see a time when it would end.
But it was
on this day that our Joanne,
Had
something very special to say,
So she bent
from the saddle, whispering into Goldie’s ear,
"Dear
Goldie, I’ve got to go away."
"The
time has come to extend my career,
And so in
the City of London I must stay.
My sister
Emma will look after you,
And I’ll
think of you every day."
"Don’t
think that you’re forgotten, dear Goldie,
You’ll
still be so very close to my heart,
And I’ll
come home as often as I can.
It’ll be
as if we were never apart!"
Goldie took
it so well for he understood,
He really
appreciated the score.
It wasn’t
as if Jo had sold him on,
And
didn’t want to ride him anymore.
But then
came the news that was so hard to take.
The farm
owners had caused quite a fuss.
"Your
Goldie’s beginning to look very gaunt,
And he’s
not a good advert for us!"
"You’ll
have to move him to another farm.
Alternatively
you could put him down.
When our
prospective customers look at him,
They hurry
on back to the town."
This was a
severe blow to the family,
To Jo and
Goldie, already apart.
It
really is my supposition
That this
rejection tore Goldie apart.
From that
moment on Goldie went into decline,
And he wore
a weary perpetual frown,
Until Jo
was finally given the news,
That her
Goldie would have to be put down.
So Goldie
spent his very last moments with Jo,
Before he
went on his heavenly way.
Jo told
Goldie just how much she loved him,
And that
she would see him again one day.
She held
his head so close in her arms,
And gently
stroked each of his ears,
As she
whispered sweet nothings to Goldie,
Whilst her
face was coursed with tears.
Goldie
sighed and turned his tired face,
Towards Jo,
as if to say,
"I
understand what you’re saying, Jo,
And I’ll
never be far away."
"Just
pretend when you go back to London,
That I’m
gambolling here, in the fields of Devon,
After all,
if we’ve got to be apart.
Does it
matter if I’m happy in heaven?"
"Up
there it won't be pitilessly commercial,
The farm
owners had no style and less grace
And those
who condemned and rejected me,
Will
probably end up in an alternative place!"
And now Goldie is running at his usual speed, Far far away and really up high. If you look up long and hard enough, You'll see him streaking across the sky.
So
Jo,
you'll not worry when your time comes.
Although
leaving loved ones will be sad,
Because
you’ll see Question Mark and Goldie again,
And,
alongside them, your mum and dad.
And all
your friends from long ago,
And all
your family too,
Some of
whom you’ll hardly know,
Who’ll be
introduced to you.
But
Goldie
this poem is written for you,
A final and
a very fitting farewell,
Although no
longer in your earthly form,
In
our hearts
and minds, you still surely dwell.
By
Tu Gether. Dedicated to Goldie and my daughter, Joanne. Author:
Trevor Durbidge Copyright © 2001 [TJD]. All rights reserved. Revised:
October 30, 2007
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