Poetry - 1966-1972 - I

As I walked across the lea,

I came upon a bright blue sea.

The waves splashed up and down,

Rushing like a golden gown,

And as I stepped upon the sand,

All the sea began to land

Oh, if this had been true

To come upon the great, great blue. 

One day a long time ago

There was a cat,

a rat,

And a bat.

And as they sat

Says the bat,

"Let's go live in a mousehole."

"All right," said the rat.

"All right," said the cat.

So feeling a little tense

Then went to the mousy fence.

"Hello," they all cried.

No one was inside.

So they got themselves fed

Put themselves to bed

And lived their lives in a mousehole. 

A weed-like insect stood still in my doggy's bowl.

It didn't even move at all, or walk, or tumble, or crawl.

Curious as I was, I stepped over to take a glance,

And when I peered closer, I guessed,

"A walkingstick, by chance?"

At that exciting moment,

When I verified my guess,

I felt like calling "Hear Ye!"

Across the entire West.

This long, string-bean creature,

I took into my arms,

And I put him in a safety box,

To be sure he was protected from harm.

When he gave no response,

To warmth, love, and delicious food,

I got somewhat mad at him,

And considered him very rude.

So I hiked up on a hill nearby,

And threw him among the weeds,

And suddenly he disappeared forever,

Never to be seen. 

There stood a full-sized acre

At the bottom of our hill

And shrubs and wildlife flourished till

A family came.

They destroyed this happy playground

For many a curious child

And built their residence mansion

The floors of which were tiled.

The family moved out all too soon

Preparing the lot for a terrible doom

- a grocery mart.

But how could they know?

And even today it exists

Barren of any trees

And only pigeons scan the grounds

When the automobiles leave

And the market closes. 

As he lies beneath a barren tree

Infested with parasites

Freedom's child blows bubbles at its branches. 

Pipe in mouth,

Pad in hand,

Thoughts on thoughts

eyeing his land.

A farmer clad in a plaid flannel shirt,

Turns homeward in a cloud of dirt.