Don’t Let That Horse ...

By Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Don’t let that horse
                        eat that violin

    cried Chagall’s mother

                               But he
                 kept right on
                               painting

And became famous

And kept on painting
                       The Horse With Violin In Mouth

And when he finally finished it
he jumped up upon the horse
                               and rode away
       waving the violin

And then with a low bow gave it
to the first naked nude he ran across


And there were no strings
                             attached