Racehorse Dreams

by Frank J. Tassone · 28 February 2019

“It was one of his many ‘get rich quick’ schemes,” Mom says.

She and Dad bought a racehorse with some thoroughbred blood in it. They hired a trainer and jockey, and rented stables. They planned to train the horse as a pacer for the trot car races: popular at Yonkers Raceway, Monticello and the like.

Unfortunately, the animal pulled up lame in its first race. After months of veterinary care, the horse would never race again.

They couldn’t even put it to stud.

maple leaves

rustle in a summer breeze

a horse’s snort

Photo by Fred Mouniguet

Frank J. Tassone

Frank J. Tassone lives in New York City's "back yard" with his wife and son. He fell in love with writing after he wrote his first short story at age 12 and his first poem in high school. He began writing haiku and haibun seriously in the 2000s. His haikai poetry has appeared in Failed Haiku, Cattails, Haibun Today, Contemporary Haibun Online, Contemporary Haibun, The Haiku Foundation and Haiku Society of America member anthologies. He is a contributing poet for the online literary journal Image Curve, and a performance poet with Rockland Poets. When he's not writing, Frank works as a special education high school teacher in the Bronx. When he's not working or writing, he enjoys time with his family, meditation, hiking, practicing tai chi and geeking out to Star Wars, Marvel Cinema and any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy film and TV worth seeing.