Molly grazed Louisiana’s brush,
blushing bayou's six-string rush
nickering equine notes of passion,
her gray blaze singing southern hospitality,
when breath blew wild, abandoning child,
as Katrina lashed in waves of panic.
Three weeks,
she ran, away from man,
until the leash of capture
found her forgotten whinny,
lead rope tossed in Cajon bars,
spinning moon,
to frantic, four-legged, crippled orphan.
Now her days
grew ever darker,
as teeth with sharper nail decided,
one less hoof to be divided.
And there she stood,
three-legged mare
in swampy flare of pit bull's red,
unbiased anger, of governmental fist
to bang her head,
in FEMA temporary mismanaged trailer,
and no help from world
gone back to summer,
but bleeding on, in humid silence.
The vet was awed, at such a love,
to lay so long in helpless mire
holding life, as sacred desire,
without a presidential pardon due,
the task,
not misconstrued, yet rued,
to hear the thunder of terrified feet
down under, helpless to fix, such frantic blunder.
So he went to LSU,
were surgeon, Rustin Moore
adored her will to wander one more season,
he saw that she was more than past
in present wasteland,
her sweetness
filling eyes of hope
for every victim of too much weather.
He built her leg in titanium wildness,
as soul felt limb,
of braver restitution,
to share one’s creature comforts
with those who's houses were blown to Mississippi.
That life goes on in mane
and meadow,
raised tail flying higher contribution,
so we might know her heartfelt youth,
as truth the wind flies through her withers.
Author notes
Meet Molly.
She's a grey speckled pony who
was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane
Katrina hit southern Louisiana .
She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were
stockpiled.
While there,
she was attacked by a pit bull terrier
and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became
infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU
was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case.
You know how that goes.
But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he
changed his mind. He saw how the pony was
careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't
seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to
handle her.
She protected her injured leg.
She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload
her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious
survival ethic.
Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee,
and a temporary artificial limb was built.
Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins
there.
'This was the right horse and the right owner,'
Moore insists.
Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain.
She made it obvious she understood that she was
in trouble. The other important factor, according
to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant
owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care
required over the lifetime of the horse.
Molly's story turns into a parable for life in
post-Katrina Louisiana .. The little pony gained weight,nand her mane finally felt a comb.
A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.
The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life,
Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.
And she asks for it.
She will put her little limb out,
and come to you and let you know that she wants
you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take
it off too. And sometimes, Molly gets away from
Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a
three-legged horse,' she laughs.
Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay,
the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to
shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation
centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed
hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her
pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time
doing it.
'It's obvious to me th at Molly had a bigger role to
play in life, Moore said. 'She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving
hope to others.'
Barca concluded, 'She's not back to normal, but she's
going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol
for New Orleans itself.'
In a list
A contest entry
- Quote Inspired by Danna Hobart.
300 points, ended October 17, 2008, 7 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
-
What a magnificent, inspiring story you've woven here, my Friend.
More than merely "congratulations" are due for the penning of this wonderful piece, Scribe.
-
oh this is so beautiful....what a story!
My doggie's name is Molly and she is pretty special too
Molly is a hero and a survivor...ty for sharing her brave story!!!
Lynda
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a beautiful story...so very inspiring...what a true survivor=)
congrats...
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This just about broke my heart. Thanks for sharing the story of Molly with me.
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