"The Black Stallion" by Joe Howard

He was wild and free.
Small, muscular, hoofed.
Ranged far and wide.
Knew no boundaries.
Except those of hunger,
fatigue, disease.

Wild he was.
Strong he was.
Free he was.
Fearless he was.

Till they trapped him.
Threw him off his feet.
Tied his legs.
Dropped a tarp over him.
Beat the fight out of him.

Then they pulled the tarp off.
Burned him with their brand.
Took the bindings from his legs.
Jerked him back upright.
Saddled him, rode him,
fed him, drove him.
Until the memory
of what he'd been
was lost in the pain.

Time passed.
And he grew old.
Grey. Spindly.
No longer usable.
Worthless to them.

Feed cost.
So they took him back.
To where they'd found him.
Cast him out.
On old ground.
To face what was now strange.

Alone, he stood . . . For a while.
Alone, he did not move . . . For a while.
Then, deep within, memory stirred.
And his head lifted.

His eye caught sight of sky.
Of peak. Of wild others.
And he bent to feed,
not yet dead.
Rose to see, not yet down.
Moved to explore, not yet lame.

Life returned . . . Slowly . . . Slowly.
Healing began . . . Gently . . . Gently.
And the old black stallion
heard his heart beat . . . once more.

The old black stallion found his
soul . . . once more.
Knew he was alive . . . once more.
Knew he was free . . . once more.
Knew he was home . . . once more.

30

It was a wonderful day. And it was a beautiful day.
I went to church this morning. It was great. :)
And then I ate a hamburger - my very favorite Sunday food.
My friend Aaron turned 21 today so a group of us celebrated his birthday with lunch. I didn't eat at the restaurant because I'm not a big fan of the type of food he chose, so that's why I had a hamburger. But I did hang out with them half the afternoon. It was great. We're really good friends. Aaron. Joey. Me. Boomer. Some others too. But especially me and Aaron and Me and Joey. They're some of my best friends.
The point is that today was a beautiful day, and as I was driving home, I saw this bright blue building over beside the highway.
So, what did I do? You see it coming. I know you do.
I took the first exit even though it was five seconds away and three lanes over, lol, and I turned back around to go take pictures at that building!
So I spent probably like an hour or two there? Taking random pictures. I got quite a few that I like. I decided these were my favorite so I smushed em together so I could post both. :)
I hope you enjoy!

29 - New Hair

I got a Keratin Treatment. Expensive, but already very well worth it. My hair was getting too long and dry to manage, and this softened and smoothed it so now I can brush it and care for it more easily. :)

28

I took dozens of photos of the squirrels I saw on this day.
This one was my favorite! He looks like he's in trouble.
Like, he has this look on his face (with his paws on his chest) like he's saying, "Who...? ME?? You must be confused." in that little innocently sarcastic voice, lol.
You know what I'm talking about? I love it.

27

A rainbow holds your dreams when
you feel like rain's washed them away.

A rainbow lights the sky and helps
you look for that brand new day.

A rainbow helps you keep your hope
when you just can't see the way.

I saw this sundog in the form of a rainbow yesterday morning.
Absolutely made my day, and inspired me to write these words. :)

26 - Hold On

Hold on to what is good
Even if it is a handful of earth
Hold on to what you believe in
Even if it is a tree which stands by itself
Hold on to what you must do
Even if it is a long way from here
Hold on to life
Even if it is easier to let go
Hold on to my hand
Even when I have gone away
-Pueblo Indian Prayer

If this one little leaf can hold on, you can too, I promise.
:)

25 - A Tear Shed is A Burden Shared There is Hope :)

24

23 - New Shirt!

I love Old Navy. :)

22

This was my first photo printed in the Daily Cougar this semester.
:-)

21

"Good Wine is Bottled Poetry"

20 - Rain, Rain. It's Okay. You Don't Have to Go Away.

Yesterday was the perfect day (in my opinion) for it to rain. I was feeling pretty downcast and somewhat overwhelmed with the start of school. I didn't feel like doing anything and rain was a good excuse to curl up on the couch. Towards the end of the day I ended up sorting through my feelings. I spent a while crying, which really helped get things out, and I also love the way it paralleled the rain.
Personally, I think storms are beautiful things...
They lead to such refreshment.
So here's my take on the rain of the day.

19 - Fill the Frame

I had this picture frame paired with a photo that I took over the summer. I absolutely love the photo, and I absolutely love the frame, but when I got back from Tennessee and saw them on my wall, I decided that they just didn't work *together* so I pulled the frame down, took the picture and everything out, and just stuck the frame on my door because I didn't have time to put it somewhere else. I left it there that night and the next day because I was busy, and then, when I came back from class the next day and saw it on my door, I felt very inspired...
The empty picture frame on my door reminded me that I've got another picture to take. Maybe that next photo will be the one to fill the frame. Maybe it won't. I've got to take the picture to find out.
Truthfully, I've decided that I'm never going to fill the frame, that way I will always feel inspired to keep trying to.

18

haha, this is Kayli.
We were so happy to see each other after
the long Christmas break. :)

17

We'd been super busy all day.
Driving back home where I'm ready to stay.
I hadn't taken any pictures cause I'd slept most the way.
This photo I took for the light, I must say.

Okay, I'm gonna stop these silly rhymes now.
We passed this Waffle House on the trip home and I really liked the way it lit up the night when the rest of the road was engulfed in darkness.

16

15 - Crystal Clear

Tennessee is freezing.
I have the evidence.

14 - Lifeline

I'm not kidding when I say this thing has helped me survive the past five days.

13 - Tennessee Sunset

12 - Chuy's Ceiling

There were hubcaps all over the ceiling.
I just thought it was very, very interesting...
And I really liked the lighting.

11 - Comfy Bed

10 - Steak N Shake

9 - I can't wait to get my new camera

This doesn't look very good.
But it's all I've got from Sunday...
:-\
Admittedly, I took this while I was driving. On a major highway. So that may be one factor in the poor quality. Idk. I need to learn how to take a good photo in poor conditions. That's part of being a photographer...
I feel so exhausted. Going to bed very soon.

8 - Would You Tell Me Your Secret Stories?

I don't know where you're going.
I don't know where you've been.
But I know that these old hands
Carry so much life with them.

7 - Nothing Glitters

There's glitter in songs, glitter in the skies,
Glitter in the snow, and glitter in your eyes.
But nothing glitters, oh no, nothing glows
Like the joy that I feel as I'm flyin back home.

I know that "glows" and "home" don't rhyme...
but somehow this just feels right to say.
It's *exactly* how I feel right now.
I've had a GREAT time in Indiana!!!
But there's no place like home. :)

6 - Long Walk

I did a lot of walking today.
It was nice.
This was just a picture from the walk.
Don't have anything interesting to say today.
Ready to be back in my Texas.

5 - I want a puppy and I wear socks that don't match and I wear them inside out.

Today I wore socks that don't match.

And I spent most of the day playing Frisbee Dog on the Wii with my puppy that I named Charlie. I want a real puppy named Charlie.

Not one of my most exciting photos, but it represents the day well. :)


"My grandmother told me at a very early age
that it was good luck to not wear matching socks,
which I've come to interpret as bad luck
to wear matching socks."
~Matthew Grey Gubler (Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds)

And I always wear my socks inside out. And that's a defining fact.

4 - Wishes

It's cold outside, so I'll sit at the window
and stare at the sun and that tree
while I wish it was summer cause that's when
my heart and my soul are always set free.

3 - my heart on the line

My heart is on the line in two ways.
The first reason my heart is on the line here is because it's hard for me to say the things I'm about to say, especially since my dad will probably read them. However, I feel these things are very, very important, and I have to say them.
The second reason my heart is on the line is because my heart literally - physically - is on the line, and the physical aspect of that truth is represented in this photo.
My dad and his family have a bit of a history when it comes to heart disease. I have a whole lot of heart metaphorically speaking, but it's likely that I have a weak heart genetically.
When I spend time with my dad, particularly when there's a lot of physical activity involved, I can see how much his poor heart health holds him back, even from things he likes to do.
I don't want to have to deal with this as I grow older.
The responsibility to take care of my body and my heart is solely mine. It's time that I take this seriously and work to improve my own heart health.
I plan to focus on eating healthy and exercising like I should.
This isn't a New Year's resolution, or I would have talked about it on January 1st. This is my life.
This is my heart on the line.

2 - A Sleepy Sunday

This is a photo of the inside of a quilt that my mom made for my sister.
I'm using it right now while I visit my parents because I couldn't bring mine with me on the flight.
I sleep with it pulled over my head sometimes, and the light shines through the stitching with this illuminative effect.
It's very pretty to me, and I've been sleepy all day, even though I took a nap for an hour, so I felt like this represents today pretty well.
:)

1 - Silos in the Setting Sun

I picked this picture for many reasons:
First, the 365project theme for the week is silhouettes.
Second, it's a photo of the landscape of Indiana, so it captures my vacation and represents time spent with my parents.
Third, we went to an indoor water park today! And the outlines kinda remind me of the slides that made us just a little bit seasick. LOADS of fun! =D

Happy New Year!
Here's to new beginnings!