The Horse Feather Poem by Paul Hartal

We were classmates in middle school.
He sat in the second row
and I in the third.

I remember I was eating once a sandwich
for lunch and he came to join me
with his own. He took a bite from it
and then with a mischivous flare in his eyes
he said: 'I lost my horse feather.'

'What? '

'I lost my horse feather', he repeated.

'But there is no such thing', I objected.

'Of course there is such thing', he said.
'As you know, there are many stories
about flying horses and some of these
are probably true. And flying horses
must have feathers like birds do.
Besides, horse feather is a metaphor
and metaphors exist. In any case,
I must find it because I am in the process
of polishing now this peculiar metaphor,
which I need for my new poem.'