I, As a Child

I, as a child, loved fairy tales But did not believe them still And playing at the Great Wall Heard a giant sleeping Felt the earth quaking But not one stone would fall China hunts where the eagle thrills The sky, and as evening pales I watch the giant with a nervous eye And long for morning For I must know if the eagle can fly The clouds gallivanting. On my belly lying in the grass I wait for the hunter to go Puzzled at the silent rifle's glint While the hunter patiently fed Little fawns and birds his bred Broken wings bound with floss From India, a double mask of woe What will the doctors do with splint Hunters and giants I cannot trust Fragile things at innocense play The deep gold is only rust Power corrupts ... patience is delay.