Tricia Knoll
Rescued
Between 10 and 11 p.m., I stream salvation videos that include untethered wild horses from Wyoming and Alberta, sanctuary updates, the birthing of ponies, and the rescue of dogs.
The draft horse whose neglected hooves curl up like elf shoes stumbles out of a deliverance trailer, saved at the last moment from the knacker’s yard. A pony whose halter stayed on so long a woman used a knife to cut it out of the pony’s neck. That husky weighing half of what it should and the man who kissed it, held it against his chest, and took it to his ranch with twenty-five other dogs. Small steps trainers take to make the terrified dangerous less so.
credits rolling
no one reads
the names
I watch these because Ruthie was sprung from a hoarder with fifteen dogs and two others dead in the yard. Afraid of shadows but who slides into darkness under my bed. Fear turns her gut liquid. Shivers. Eager for a stick to chew. Slow turns to trust.
comfort
this need for someone
to say I’m good
About the Author
Tricia Knoll is a Vermont poet who early in 2025 turned from free verse to prose poetry and haibun. Her work appears in dozens of journals and nine collections, both full-length and chapbook. She is a Contributing Editor to the online journal Verse Virtual. Website: triciaknoll.com