Words by Emily Walter
In the windswept hills of Three Forks
lies a dale with ironclad horses. Statues
on the leeward side. Some bold, some bent
to the earth to will grasses, all exposed to
unrelenting prairie winds. Farther west, five horses
walk in a lazy line on the ridge. In biting winter
or worn out sun, horses look tired unless moving.
Even in Montana, horses saddled in cities look silly,
reining the view of some curated white past.
When will we begin to say we’re sorry?
When will we begin to know it cannot be said
in English? Maybe it isn’t said in words.
Maybe it begins with a single blade of grass.
Forgive us for holding what isn’t ours.
Maybe then we can begin to look into the bold
wide eye of a bison and say, forgive me.
Emily Walter (she/her) lives and writes in Missoula. Originally from Michigan, Emily has had poetry and nonfiction published in 32 Poems, High Country News, and Colorado Book Review, among others.
Erika Peterman is a Montana-based creative and founder of Public School Kids, a storytelling series exploring the role of public education in American life. A member of the Montana State Bar, she has also been paid to sing in one.
