Nelson and George
’Twas Providence granting old Nelson to George,
Like how he survived at the Valley of Forge.
Young George was a horseman who knew well the breeds
And shone like a knight when he rode atop steeds.
With Nelson’s physique and undauntable style,
The horse was the brawn beneath Washington’s guile.
When his hoofbeats persisted in thunderous tapping,
The cloak and cravat around George began flapping.
While crossing the rivers in wintertime palls,
The horses all rode on a flatboat that hauls
Artillery, first, through a superstorm’s worst,
In the sleet, through the rain, atop ice, as though cursed
To submerge ere traversing the slushy cascades.
In a Durham boat, Washington plotted the raids
Near men on the oars, not a hop from the shores,
While Nelson aspired to conceptualize wars.
In the fog of the freeze, frosty Nelson recalled
That his master first schemed, and thereafter he brawled.
Old Nelson revered his astonishing boss,
Though George might retreat and could stomach a loss.
Just play the long game and then win in due course.
To Nell, upright George was a wunderkind horse!
Battalions of redcoats were captured and jailed.
The brainiac George and brash Nell hadn’t failed.
When Washington’s cunning at Yorktown arrived,
The battle was won in a siege, he contrived.
’Twas Nelson in front, overseeing the blitz,
And facing dejection when Brits called it quits.
To Nelson, the bedlam embodied the brio
Of a dare, on a sprint, in a leap, the whole trio!
Victorious George had old Nell on his farm,
Just to graze in the grass, without reins, far from harm.
But when Nelson met George by the watering deck,
Each embrace with old Nell was a wreath round his neck.
Near Washington’s tomb and its columns of stone,
Old Nelson’s interred at a gravesite unknown.
Dr. David Filpula served as a research director in the biotechnology industry for three decades. He is the author of three poetry collections and three allegorical novels.
David, this is a wonderful story from history about the relationship between George Washington and his horse. This is remarkably detailed and well-told much of it from the perspective of Nelson.
A lovely tribute to Washington’s trusty steed.
Thanks for the read, David.
Great galloping rhythm, David. Your atmosphere owes much to the sensitive eye of the soldier and surveyor–whose observations appear mainly from the horse’s point of view. Gives a real impression of the camaraderie of man and beast. An emotional poem of having been through it all together in spirit.
What a delightful read, David! Sounds like Nelson loved his master deeply and faithfully, and that the depth of affection and loyalty were mutual. Though his grave is unmarked, you have given Nelson a beautiful and timeless remembrance befitting the honor and dignity he deserved.
Thank you, Roy, Paul, Margaret, and Jan, for your kind comments. Special thanks to Evan for his guidance.