new shoes

my horse, giolla, getting new shoes Thursday

the smell, like perfume, bordering toxic. 

i say "my" horse with a sense of gratitude and pride. for the past month we have gone from strangers to friends. she is stubborn. an outcast among the other horses. but extremely fast. and strong. and, on a good day... a dream to ride. bursting through unbeaten fields and down rocky slopes with ears up and skies blue. 

i will miss her sweat, the way it permeates through my clothes. her calm stature. her broad

 shoulders. 

i will miss this horse more than i believe i know. 

on May 21 I leave La Palma.. I will spend three days in Gran Canaria having arrived by ferry and waiting for my plane. on May 24 I will land in Marrakech, Morocco and begin a month of travel, new experiences and photography. 

the journey will then take me north through the desert and back into Spain. in Barcelona another volunteer experience awaits me. i must first focus on the present. an increasingly crucial part of my life. such a simple task, yet so often overlooked... to soak up the beauty of every passing minute. a blind disregard for the flowing sands of time. 

may they burn my skin and shred my clothes