Broken Beauty

His ribs jutted out, His body was gaunt. A living skeleton, A sight that would haunt. He drank from muddy waters, And ate the dirt of the street. He walked on cracked hooves, His body was cold, without heat. He came to a little cottage, After wandering up a dusty road. The starved horse was on its last legs, He was dying, it showed. Inside the little old house, A wrinkled widow cried. Her body was still strong, But she was broken inside. Broken from the loss, Of many a loved one. She had no company now, Not a daughter, nor a son. She looked out her window, To see a sad sight. The horse's body was fading, Its eyes, almost without light. Her heart was filled with pity, She decided to care for the creature. With plenty of food and love, His starvation she could cure. The horse brought her happiness, As his body began to heal. Her heart was being repaired, With her sadness, she could now deal. She never gave him a name, And she knew she could never ride. But she had healed him on the outside, And he had healed her inside.