Horse and Rider

Horse and Rider takes its title from a passage in the book of Exodus: “Sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has cast into the sea.” Melissa Range’s poems explore violence and power, particularly as those concepts relate to religion and to the natural world. Her mixture of free and formal verse is populated with warriors, weapons, animals, and figures from the Bible and mythology. In a galloping triptych of ancient and apocalyptic visions, these vigorous poems probe the recurring image of the horse and its sometimes troubled, sometimes loving relationship with its rider.