“The Spirit of the Horse” and Other Works

By Philray Jack

One mans journey to discovering his authentic self.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Feb 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781458208170

Philray Jack

Phil Ray Jack returned to his home in southern Colorado in order to reconnect with his authentic self. Besides writing poetry, articles, and fiction, he is currently teaching at Adams State University and has taught writing and literature courses for more than twenty years.

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Copyright © 2013 PHIL RAY JACK.

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ISBN: 978-1-4582-0819-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0817-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013902526

Abbott Press rev. date: 2/18/2013

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Dedication

Introduction

It Seems to Me: Coming Home

Soar High

It Seems to Me: Attitude Plus Effort

Another Day

Storm on the Horizon

Deserted Shack

The Marker

Son’s Pride

It Seems to Me: Leon Jack, This One’s for You

It Seems to Me: This One’s for You, Mom

It Seems to Me: The Secret

Security

Fall from Grace

It Seems to Me:

Trust

Eating Fry-Bread with Paula Gunn Allan

Love Is Only a Feeling

Dragon of Despair

It Seems to Me: Grief

Two Short Poems

Simply Life

It Seems to Me: Picking Priorities

Another Quarter Begins

It Seems to Me: Why I (Attempt to) Teach

Casual Conversation

Best Friend

Poppa’s Sonnet

To My Best Friend

It Seems to Me: An Act of Courage

Spirit of the Horse

Diane’s Eyes

Beautiful Cowgirl

The Promise

List of Illustrations

As soon as I sat in the saddle, everything became clear to me …

A little girl smiled and reached for me.

Lightening dances across the horizon …

Blind windows miss the blue sky …

A place where buffalo belong, their huge frames covered with shaggy, dark fur …

‘Son’ No other title worn with more pride.

Trust does not come automatically.

The earth speaks through the Spirit of the Horse …

There may be miles between us, Yet our souls reach across the distance …

I’ll be the light In your darkness, As you are in mine …

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my best friend, Diane. She stood by me through tough times, has been and continues to be a light for me in my darkness, and has helped me find my authentic self. In doing so, she helped me understand what it really means to be a true friend. For that, I will always be grateful.

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

—Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Introduction

When I began this project, my intent