by R.T. Fitch, author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“
“Mommy, Mommy, it’s Christmas time, you should not be crying. Why are you crying, Mommy?
You have been crying since Christmas eve day, the day you read something in the newspaper about the wild ponies. It was something about a judge saying OK to round up the wild ponies but I don’t understand, Mommy.
You and daddy never let us run our ponies in the snow, you say that it is bad for them that they might trip and fall. When it is deep they can work too hard and hurt themselves so how come the bad men are chasing the wild ponies through the snow, Mommy? I don’t understand.
Why are they attacking our wild ponies, I asked everyone and no one tells me anything? I ask my teacher and she just shakes her head, I ask daddy and he says, ‘Whatever you do don’t ask your mother’ and when I ask you, you cry. Why Mommy?
I only asked for the ponies to be left alone for Christmas, honest, that’s what I put on my list to Santa by he brought me a little Cloud model, why did you cry when I opened up the present, Mommy? “Cloud of the Rockies”, remember Mommy, you went there right after school started and tried to stop the bad men. Why did they chase Cloud and take his wives, children and grandchildren, why Mommy? You told me that the bad men said that they were hungry but the pictures you took sure don’t make them look hungry, they looked fatter than our horses. Why don’t you tell me why, Mommy?
Late one night, I heard you and daddy talking about the bad men and when you asked them why they chased the wild ponies they said ‘Because we can’, why Mommy, why can they? This is America, we have rules, I know because I learned that in school. If these bad men are government then why are they doing this, Mommy? Don’t they work for us? Don’t they follow the rules? Don’t they have little girls who ask them why they chase the wild ponies, huh, Mommy?
Where is the President, Mommy? Shouldn’t he be stopping the bad government men? I remember he promised to be a good President. I remember he used the word ‘change’ a lot. Is this what change is Mommy?
Doesn’t the President have little girls like me, Mommy? Do you think they ask their daddy why he is letting the government hurt the ponies, Mommy? I know that this is bad, Mommy.
Please stop crying, I have a lot to ask; there is so much that I do not understand. The horses are hurting and I know you want to help. Are you crying because you are not going out west next week, to watch the wild ponies? I thought that you said they were going to let you watch and now you say no, what went wrong, Mommy? I was looking forward to staying with Grandma, what happened Mommy?
The computer shows me some scary things about the wild ponies getting hurt, Mommy. I know you don’t like it but I am a big girl, now. I can see it, I have my own ponies to take care of but I don’t understand about the wild ponies, Mommy.
Please don’t cry, I need you to tell me, Mommy. Why Mommy, what did the wild horses do? There are hundreds of big ole cows there, much more than the wild ponies; why not chase the cows, Mommy? Why bother the horses? Please don’t shake your head cause I need to know, Mommy.
Mommy, can I ask you a big girl question? I am not stupid and think that I am pretty smart but I can’t figure this out. Mommy, will you take my hand when I ask you this question, please? I am really pretty smart and I need to know this more than anything else in the whole wide world because I do not understand, okay?
Mommy, why are they killing our wild ponies?”
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