Poetry & Horses with Monument Crisis Center and Walnut Creek Equestrian Center

On July 8, Crescent Moon Center joined several local equine-assisted learning organizations for a special event for children attending the Monument Crisis Center's summer camp hosted by Walnut Creek Equestrian Center and Jane J. VanderWerf,  Better Angels Ranch.

This event marked an important step in Crescent Moon's commitment to multicultural programming. It highlighted how creativity, language, and shared experiences can bring people together in meaningful ways. 

Crescent Moon Center hosted a poetry workshop led by John Fox, a Practitioner of Poetic Medicine. John is a globally respected poet, teacher, and author of Finding What You Didn't Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity Through Poem-Making. John’s gift is to make writing accessible to everyone. He guided the campers to create a group poem inspired by their experiences with the horses that day.

The campers were Spanish first-language speakers between first and eighth grade. Our inspirational poem, written by third grader Olivia Notter, and writing prompt provided a meaningful opportunity to connect across ages, languages, and cultures. We invite you to read "The Animal of My Feelings" and write your own response to the following prompt:

There is a horse in me...

Download the Poem