Hee!

[desperance]

I have just written:

I could, however, see the horses of extravagance reined sharply in, and feel the grit of economy beneath the heels of my shoes.

It's not so much a darling of the day, more an example to itself: these very words are the horses of extravagance, and much in need of sharp reining.

But I may let them stand anyway, just because. We can't always walk barefoot in the grit.

Comments

[green_knight]

I'd make it 'reined in sharply' as you should not split verbs up, if you can avoid it.

Otherwise, I love it. And I want some of what you've been having to come up with phrases like that. <swoon>

[desperance]

Ordinarily I'd be entirely on your side here - and so, I think, would the character - but there's a rhythm to "reined sharply in" which gets lost the other way. It's an indulgence, to hold on to it; but the whole sentence is an indulgence, so.