Jeffry Jensen
ONCE
I once was a ten-year-old escape artist hiding
inside a rusty trunk waiting for a magic
moment to transport me to tomorrow.
An alphabet tree
black cat reading
wise sun shines
I once was a nine-year-old Indian chief hiding
in the tall weeds waiting for a wandering
missionary to table his salvation.
A broken wall
a rising tide
summer fills a window
mama spent my childhood in a coma
daddy spent the holidays on the moon
mama went to pieces at a Passion Play
daddy came back to earth far too soon
I once was an eight-year-old circus clown hiding
in the wings waiting for the bearded
lady to trim her mystery.
A season in my shoe
dreaming
a cat climbs
I once was a seven-year-old gunslinger hiding
out on the back porch waiting for a ruthless
sheriff to trip over his rage.
A quiet chair
a child remembers
birds fly free
mama spent my childhood in the Bible
daddy spent the weekends herding goats
mama went to Heaven to bathe baby Jesus
daddy went to Hell to burn broken boats
No comments:
Post a Comment