Grieving Horses by Julia H. Fonte

Grieving Horses

The last thing I expected
turning into the gravel drive
were four red manes bowing
over a split rail fence. They eluded
me these months I’d been his nurse.

Drawn to their sad songs
rolling across the yard like leaves,
I lingered in soft eyes, gazes
never wavering from his window.

Inside, their hymns filtered
through the open, sheered casement
above his bed.

His wife turned to me, “Been at it
since way before sunrise. Never
came to the fence before—you see,
he always walked way out to them.”

His breath began to fade
as the curtain, for a long moment,
billowed, their farewells
breezing in to embrace him.

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Julie H. Fonte

Julia H. Fonte is a retired psychiatric and hospice nurse living in the middle of a hay field at the edge of Vermont woods. When not writing she preserves wildflowers in three-dimensional form; grows and dries organic herbs; and interacts (from their preferred distance) with a family of wild ravens. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Steam Ticket, Touchstone, The Mountain Troubadour, Northern New England Review, HEART, The Braided Way, and Verse-Virtual. One of her poems was a finalist in the 2025 Vermont Writer’s Prize.Two others received Honorable Mentions from the 2025 HEART Poetry Award and the 2025 Touchstone Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. Her website can be found at juliahfonte.com.

Latest posts by Julie H. Fonte (see all)

• Grieving Horses by Julia H. Fonte - October 9, 2025