Dear Ed Madden,
Your poem “Trough” speaks to me because it transports me to a time when I was very young and would ride horses with my father on his ranch. The line that particularly caught my attention was “your cousin warns—big enough to drown in.” (line 5) When I was younger, my whole family would go spend a week at my father’s ranch in Colorado. Since my father passed away we have stopped going, but the ranch still holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite places in the world. When we would go to the ranch, I remember getting to run around and play to my heart's content. The fresh mountain air always gave me so much energy. My favorite part of the Colorado Ranch was the horses. About a hundred yards from the main house, there was a little stable where the ranch hands kept all of the supplies for the horses. There were brushes, reins, saddles, boots, buckets and lots and lots of oats. One of my favorite things to do was going into the little shed and sitting in the corner to read. I had to bring a flashlight with me because it was so dark in there, but it was worth it because of the smell. The little barn always had a strong smell of sweet oats, and I absolutely loved it. Sometimes, if no one was around, I would sneak out and feed the horses. I distinctly remember something my cousin said to me when she caught me in the act. I was about eight years old, and she was ten at the time, so naturally I looked up to her and heeded every word she said. She told me not to go near the horses because they would bite me, but having always loved horses, I was fairly certain this was not true. I continued to ignore my cousin’s warning because nothing could keep me away from my horses. Obviously, her warning was well-intended because horses do have large teeth, but I knew what I was doing. After years of spying on Fritz, the ranch hand, I had picked up a thing or two about horse etiquette and safety. For example, one should never walk directly behind a horse because they could get spooked and kick you. Also, when hand-feeding horses, it is important to keep your hand flat or else they could accidentally bite your finger. Horses primarily eat grass, hay and oats, so they have no intention of eating a finger, but every once in a while they could get excited and mistake a finger for a carrot or a chunk of oats. For this reason, it is imperative that one keeps her hand flat while hand-feeding. This ensures that the horse only eats what is on the hand and not the hand itself. I remember making a connection with one particular horse named Ducky. He was light brown with a blonde mane and a wart behind his right ear. At the end of the day, I am so glad I ignored my cousin’s advice because if I hadn't, I would never have gotten to make that connection with Ducky. So, one of my favorite parts of your poem “Trough” was the initial image of the horses running “between the barn and the pasture.” (line 1)
In this poem the main values I glean are curiosity and courage. The child’s curiosity drives him to explore the trough in spite of his cousin’s warning. This poem teaches a valuable lesson. It tells us that while one should heed others’ advice, it is equally as important that one experiences the thrills and dangers of life for oneself. Even though it is important, facing your fears is far from an easy task. It takes huge amounts of courage to overcome one’s inhibitions and to truly experience something you have only heard about from others (in this case, the boy’s cousin who has seen the trough for himself).
One element of “Trough” that really sparks my interest is your word choice. Personally, I have such fond memories of my time around horses and in the country, yet this poem reads dark which conflicts with my experiences. The repetition of illustrative words like “dark,” “still,” “warns,” “drown,” “snags,” “darkness,” and “apparitions,” emotes fear or discomfort. These specific words show the protagonist’s true feelings of doubt, hesitation, and deep-rooted fear towards his adventure in the trough. Similarly, I am intrigued by the tone you create with your word choice. The words you used give the poem an atmosphere of unrest and mystery, which is reflected in the trough itself. “The dark water” and the “enormous fish... rising like apparitions to the surface” of the trough are visualizations of this poem’s dark and cloudy tone. (lines 7-8) The aspect of this poem that puzzles me the most is your reasoning for why you decided to set the tone this way. Is there perhaps a childhood memory you have that has left a lasting impression that could be the root of your ominous and eerie attitude towards your experience with the trough? Personally, my memories of water troughs for the horses at my father’s ranch are filled with childish laughter and glee. This might make it more difficult for me to understand where you are coming from in your poem, but I would very much like to know your story. I wonder how we could have had such different experiences in such similar settings. Staying in the countryside with family, pastures of horses, and stables all seem to be things our childhoods have in common; however, I perceived my surroundings differently. I am eager to know more about where this poem is set and the personal significance it has for you.
Sincerely,
Carolyn
Grade 10
Houston, TX
