midnight silence
the carousel horses
moon-glazed

Dawn Bruce

A wonderful image with a deep sense of stillness.  We used to called it the merry-go-round which happened to be by the sea. This haiku is likely to elicit fond memories in us all, taking us to different places in days long ago.
As a child I had a feeling these horses might be haunted especially at night when no one was around and in particular one of the spotted greys with a worrisome twinkle in its glass eye. By day one was taken by the carousel’s flashing lights and mirrors, the carnival music, the whirl of smiling faces in the watching crowd and was immersed in the euphoria of others.  I imagined my horse could break away from its spiralled silver pole, go galloping across the fair-ground and even take to the sky. But what of the horses at night as the crowd disappeared, the carousel closed and the horses left to their own. Buffeted by the breeze they could be a little frisky but other times they stood absolutely still. Perhaps they recalled those that rode with them through the day, had memories of their own, one couldn’t really tell, standing so silent in the cold light of the moon.

FreeXpreSsion Vol. XIX-Issue No.5 May 2012

Selection & comments by Simon Hanson