letting it go

the old horse.
sweet and shy,
the sway back brown horse.
flies
batted by a stiff tail.
eyes matted
with tears gone yellow.
unable to walk
far.
away from the smell,
the end of life,
hardly making it to the back
fence to lie
down and die.
but she did. she did.
despite
all efforts to keep
her standing
in the stall,
to gnaw carrots and be
brushed by
a kind unwilling hand.