Welcome

Hi, my name is Alys Jackson and I'm an author and poet

based in Adelaide, South Australia.

My work has been published in books, magazines,

anthologies and online.

You can lead a horse to water

You Can Lead a Horse to Water

‘You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.’

I tried this out on Wednesday when I led one to the sink.

My dad went really crazy, lassoed it with a rope.

It’s true about the horse though for it only ate the soap.

 

This is a very silly proverb!🐎.

Can you guess what it means?

8 thoughts on “You Can Lead a Horse to Water”

  1. Dear Alys,
    Good job on this poem, I really liked the rhyming and is it true that you could lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink? Also, can you make more animal related poems?

    Kind regards
    Tirath.

    • Hi Tirath. I’m not sure if this saying is true though I expect it probably is. I have a cat and I often show him the water bowl but he almost never drinks the water while I’m watching!! 😹😹😹😹 Ooh, I do like a challenge. I will definitely try to make more animal poems 💪💪 Alys

    • Thanks Vinuk. The proverb means that you can offer someone an opportunity or give them good advice BUT you can’t make them listen or take that advice. Just like parents with children. Alys ☺️☺️

  3. Hey Alys,

    I really liked your use of rhyme as this made a big effect on the rhythm of the poem. Also, I am not really sure what this proverb means but I am interested to know. Overall, this poem was really good and made me laugh.

    • Thanks Ranulaka, I’m glad you liked the rhymes in my poem. There are many different kinds of poems and not everyone enjoys rhymes. I have this conversation with my sister who prefers free poetry. I shall have to tell her that this poem made you laugh. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink is a proverb that’s been used since at least the 12th Century in England. It means that you can offer someone an opportunity but you can’t make them take it. So true!! 😏 Alys

  4. Hey Alys,

    Isn’t the phrase, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink,’ an idiom which means that you can give someone an opportunity but you don’t have to force them to take it. It was quite interesting how you managed to create a poem based on one phrase. This was quite clever and as a result, the poem overall turned out quite funny.

    – Chomilka

    • Hi Chomilka, thank you for your comments. You’re almost correct with your meaning of ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.’ I did a little research and it is a proverb that began in at least the 12th Century in England. It means that you can offer someone an opportunity but you can’t make the person accept it. A bit like the time when I found an excellent job opportunity for my teenage son and even showed him how to apply…….but he decided not to! 🤨😖 It was fun creating a poem out of a proverb and I’m pleased you liked it. Alys

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