She Brushes the Pony

Verse 1
She brushes that pony like it owes her money
Like it broke her heart and she forgave it anyway
Soft hands, slow strokes, talks to him low and easy
The kind of voice she used to use on me back in the day
I watch from the porch with a warm heart going cold
While she checks his hooves and reads the coming storm
She knows how to tighten a cinch so it won’t slip
But she ain’t pulled me close enough to keep me warm
Chorus
She feeds him apples, feeds me silence
Tends to every creature in her care
Strong woman, good boots, steady eyes
But I’m a fence post she walks past without a prayer
She knows how to love what she needs 
Lord knows that woman’s got the touch
If she only knew how simple it is to keep a man
Just stay a little, darlin’ — that’s enough
Verse 2
Maybe I talk too rough, drink too steady
Maybe I wear my toughness like a coat that don’t come off
Maybe I look like the kind of man who don’t need tending
But every man’s got a soft spot buried under all that dust
She leaves me in the dark side of the barn
With the smell of hay and the sound of her boots walking away
I ain’t asking for roses, ain’t asking for sermons
Just her hand on my chest at the end of a long day
Chorus
She feeds him apples, feeds me silence
Tends to every creature in her care
Strong woman, good boots, steady eyes
But I’m a fence post she walks past without a prayer
She knows how to love what she needs 
Lord knows that woman’s got the touch
If she only knew how simple it is to keep a man
Just stay a little, darlin’ — that’s enough
Bridge
Not some big cathedral apology
Not a ribbon or a ring
Just her resting here beside me
Like she rests on that animal after a hard ride in the spring
I don’t bruise easy — but I bruise
And I’ve been splinterin’ quiet in the sun
Rusting on this porch while she’s out there having fun
Wondering where it was I came undone
Final Chorus
She feeds him apples, feeds me silence
And maybe darlin’ that’s on me
Strong woman, good boots, steady eyes
Lord I love every stubborn part of what I see
She knows how to take care of what she needs 
She knows how to stand in a storm and not break
If she only knew how simple it is to keep a man safe 
A touch. A word. A staying.
That’s all it’d take.
Outro (spoken/half-sung)
Would she care…
Or would she just keep brushing that damn pony
While I rust
Quietly
On the porch.

Country Slow 6/8 porch ballad, smoky steel, bruised baritone, Slow 6/8 waltz feel, smoky electric, pedal steel organ