Don’t ride the wild ponies
That graze by the stream
No matter how tame
And how friendly they seem
With their long silky manes
And their soft, dappled coats,
For these creatures don’t feed
Upon apples or oats:
If you climb on their back
You will stick to their skin
They will leap in the water
And you’ll be dragged in
And when you are drowned
They will feast on your flesh
For they only eat meat
When it’s lovely and fresh
I know what you’re thinking:
No horse is carnivorous,
Nor are they generally
Known as amphibious.
The Kelpie’s no horse
It’s a whole other genus
A lookalike species
That’s not what it’s seen as.
So don’t ride the ponies
That prance by the brook.
There’s a lot of things out there
Less sweet than they look.
Tom Juniper Poetry 