After Joy Harjo’s “Horses”
She had some songs
Songs that made her sing
Songs that held her hand
She had songs that walked with her and songs that skipped
She had songs that rocked her and stopped her and made her close her eyes
She had songs that she hated
She had songs that poured like wine and tequila
She had songs with wings she had songs like stones
She had songs she played and others that played her
She had some songs she loved
She had songs like horses that kept running away
She had songs that smelled like honey tasted like spring and stung like a slap
across her face
She had songs that sounded like breaking glass
Like dunking her head underwater like looking up like going home
She had songs she sang
She had songs that sang her
She had some songs that made her stomach ache and cramp and stretch and explode
She had songs like sprinting spiders crawling across her skin
She had songs like swimming pools
She had a song thick like a bear skin rug
She had songs like leather and whiskey like smoke in the air
She had songs like chalk like salt in the back of her throat
She had songs that sang her
She had songs that played her and spun her around
Like barbed wire fences that cut
She had songs like machetes
Songs like lace
She had songs like clouds
Like sand
Like fog
She had songs for days
Songs with no sound
She had songs that unlocked her
She had songs like tattoos
She had songs that were crazy
Songs that were brave
She had songs she sang and songs
that spun her around
Willona Sloan has published in literary journals, including BlazeVOX, Bohemia, and Words Apart. She has hosted literary events and culturally-focused creative writing workshops in the United States, Iceland, and Canada. She is an alum of the VONA Voices writing workshop, and she has done artist residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Spark Box Studio.
Remolinos 