Upon the haunted, magic air
A sound is heard in the dark somewhere;
A creak of wood, as gears are churned,
A carousel begins to turn.
A siren song that calls a child
To find these horses running wild,
Whose painted mouths say: Join our game!
He leaps the one he wants to tame.
The laughing boy holds tight the pole
And hugs the wooden horse of old.
Watching the dark town flashing by
He takes the forbidden midnight ride.
The painted eyes begin to gleam
And shadows flicker close like dreams.
Front hooves rise in a sudden rear
As the boy now clings to flesh and fear.
He turns and looks for one last time
As the leave the carousel behind.
The maddened horse in nightmare flight
Rides the boy into the night.
They leap the earth in an endless rush
And hopes of childhood turn to dust.
The dark night turns to seek the dawn
But against the stars the boy is gone.
I thought I'd play a trick
on my kid sister Brooke,
she said that it was sick
and stuck me up on this hook -
that's why I have such a sad look.
My trick was funny , so I thought -
I ate her dish of ice cream,
but Brooke got mad and said "I could rot,"
it was then I let out a scream...
Brooke just looked up laughing - boy, is she mean!
George Aul
08/03/11
For "Hangin' In There" contest sponsored by Francine Roberts.
A laughing boy
he was our own
our one and only own child
so beloved
so serious a child so easily traumatized
so insular and difficult
so beloved
his mother
different and difficult herself
brought him forward
into crazy
and left him.
Who is the child, so happy and bright,
Bowl cut blonde, sparkling blue eyes,
Smile frantic upon red lips,
So fresh with life and pure of soul,
Country and classic rock he loves,
The romance songs the best by him,
He laughs as they sing, Heartbreaker,
What could ever be that bad?
Who is this child?
Small teeth freshly revealed,
So soon out, so soon to leave,
Replaced by bigger teeth,
Just like this laughing child,
Soon replaced by a bigger model,
No less cute, but no more cute,
Smiling through tears,
Who is this child?
Why does he laugh,
How can he laugh,
With so much wrong in the world?
Because...
Plain and simple.
He is a child.
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