Somehow, I managed

to take a picture

of horses snorting,

their hot breath turning into steam

as they charged down the field

and towards my camera lens,

the unblinking, the hot hoof beat

that I felt underneath,

locomotive driven, terrifying

and beautiful, an attack

on the front, be still, measured

I implored myself, hold the reins

of the camera tightly, snap

shot of a time

when I went racing with James.

Ian D. Hall 2018