The Copper House

Still, on a bench, watching eyes inquired To the heights of Brakeman’s Hill That on its rounded peak Poised a bright copper house And held the company Of a strong oak tree It bore a twisted truck And roots of valiant display The fallen leaves made swollen stumps As squirrels used them to play An old man of grey And a young man tall Stood looking keen in front Of the east copper wall They stood in their suits Passing a will between They took haste down the hill Through rotten wood and brush Over flower patches that lay dead Passing whispers that bid hush By a days cycle crop Matthew and I Remained on the bench, Watching the sky And then, in a dark hour before dawn The spance released a beam of light As if an impending star spoke Of a purple shekel so bright That shimmered in blue As the tail of a kite We dashed to see Upon what land it fell And sure enough On Brakeman’s hill So with a glance of agreement We journeyed up that way In hopes to discover What mystery portray Half in a trail, we halt, and bow For a silhouette shown forth Approaching the place of abode It appeared to be a lady Around her thirtieth year Her hair of almond ash, tied back in a bun Her cloth of linen and laces undone She carried a basket and a suitcase of paisley While an ivory sheep dog in collar, carried two a daisy They entered the copper gate And rested in the yard Until a rumbling of earth put them on guard Then before our very eyes We saw that impending star brew And up from the ground The copper house, split in two The women and the dog Seemed to be collect Even drawing from her suitcase Personal affects She strewn them about- blankets of braid To every line providing shade For now the morning was warming No time to lose- so we decided to meet her On a whim and fuse At the top she met us And lead us through The rooms of copper Which vineyards rapidly grew We tasted fruits We had not known Then from afar Other children shown Though the suns gleam all with little smiles Some sat and giggled Others climbed the twisted oak tree The place becoming, a home to the free At the end of the day, We took haste down the hill Over flower patch blossoms Through moss and wooded lush Passing laughter so hearty Yielding, many cheeks a blush Matthew and I Filled to the brim Agreed for tomorrow To meet again