Riding the Horse

— in memory of my dear friend’s daughter, Jen

The young horse, gleams,
near the pines and maples
on the waving hill.
Next to it, stands Jen —
a teenager, slender, as quiet
as her passionate eyes.
The wind brings the
black mane to
touch her soft face.
She lifts my daughter
onto the horse’s back.
She leads the horse,
like a family—the three
circle the grassland.
Jen’s green shirt, the little
girl’s flowery skirt,
and the handsome horse —
a flying golden horse,
painted on summer dusk.

Xiaoly Li is a poet, photographer and computer engineer who lives in Massachusetts. Prior to writing poetry, she published stories in a selection of Chinese newspapers. Her photography, which has been shown and sold in galleries in Boston, often accompanies her poems. Her poetry is forthcoming or has recently appeared in Chautauqua, Rhino, Atlanta Review, Whale Road Review, Rockvale Review, Cold Mountain Review, J Journal and elsewhere. She has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and Pushcart Prize. Xiaoly received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Masters in computer science and engineering from Tsinghua University in China.