Poem #3

Perfect Image

You never had a chance to prove to everyone,

Just how great you really were,

But you never had to prove it to me,

Because I already knew that you were.

From the moment I first saw you,

To when they took you away,

I knew I would always love you,

In a love that is different in every way.

Right away I understood just how perfect you were,

So I decided to name you that, Perfect Image,

And you were just so beautiful,

It was almost like looking at a mirage.

And every time I looked at you,

My heart began to swell,

And when you stood there in the sun,

Your coat always shone like a newly-made bell.

I still remember you clear as can be,

Laying there in the straw, helpless and in pain,

And it was then when I began to cry,

Because I knew then that your life would never gain.

I was with you then as you lay there,

Stroking your neck and crying into your mane,

Then suddenly I knew that you would never leave me,

Because I loved you too much and I called out your name.

"Oh, Image! I love you so much!" I said to you over and over.

And with all your strength, you lifted your head,

And laid it in my arms, where I continued to stroke it,

Until you took your last breath and then you were dead.

You weren't even six months old,

When you laid in that stall for the last time,

But now you are gone, and out of pain,

For such a thing to happen, it seemed like a crime.

Now that you are above me, I always look up and say,

"I love you, Image, never forget me!"

Every night, I silently tell you,

"Good night, Image, now I'll let you be."

You could've been a champion,

You could've been a star,

And like I said before,

You didn't need to prove it to me, because I'll always know that you are!

-Amanda Daul

In memory of my beloved filly, Perfect Image, who died on Friday 13th, Jan. 2006, 2:14PM.