Salvationby Don Mock (copyright 2004)Some people said the boy was strange So secretive and shy. He studied stones and animal bones And gazed into the sky. He lived far out from town, this boy-, He knew no other child. He did not miss what he'd never known; (Perhaps he was half wild.) When cottonwoods made whispering sounds As cool night breezes blew, While his parents slept, he often crept Outdoors to walk in dew. He'd listen to the twittering birds And other sounds of night-- The coyote's howl, a distant owl And watch the stars grow bright. When mornings came he'd milk the cow And take the sheep to graze, And pick blackberries on the hill And help in many ways. His favorite swimming hole he'd find When afternoons were hot, And doze beside the bubbling creek-- His was a happy lot! But townsfolk talked about the boy And said it was not right, And got an order from a judge And saved him from his plight. (Manhattan: Soapweed Press. July 7, 2004) |
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