Daisies pricked like stars in the shade

under the bent old apple trees,

flagstones sun-warmed

post-prandial heavy-lidded

scents, sleepy sounds...drowsy...

when a shadow, a sense,

a wind-whisper:  come ride with me…

a great, winged creature nudges...

 

There seemed an issue as to whether

my legs should slip behind those pinions

or over, on top. Settled for ontop.

MThen, like a dimension-smashing rocket

we shot up and off in a sure Direction with pace zooming-out to a blurr,

stream-lined against the flying mane

and elongated into a meteoritic flash.

 

Touching down, gently like a feather,

sliding over the sleek, bluey shoulder

to the alien ground

I became aware of a far horizon

on which silhouettes of many horses

careened; horses in dream-time, off duty, freed for a span from their earthly selves - in simple monochrome.

 

Pegasus folded those great wings

and I was asked my wish:

sight-see. Awe, wonder awakened!

The great dappled-roan neck bent round

reaching over my back

and seemed to bite off something

from my lower spine and toss it away.

Then, in an instant, I was aboard

and he/she leapt into the sky

levelling off over the wild terrain

till we came to a coastline: a grey sea

with breakers crashing onto the beach.

Closer, it was water-horses galloping,

manes of flying foam,

 pearly fore-hooves silicon-sparkling

scaley bodies slithering back

 with a slapping of glistening fish-tails.

 

Onwards again:

to the brim of a many-moon-lit crater

of wooded ledges and caverns.

Out came a red horse, breathing fire,

with clawed reptilian haunches,

uncoiling a flailing dragon tail.

 

Finally, we stopped by a hillock

where a centaur stood, looking out

like a ships figurehead

androgynously human-topped

with a mighty body, stamping its hooves.

It advanced towards us

my outlander-status read like a script

every cell xrayed;

then,

something - I can’t tell what - happened

momentous, instantaneous,

a kindof extraterrestrial Shaktipat...

... though small and puny,

yet I felt somehow privileged.

 

Then, whooshed-back to the orchard

in time  for tea.