GKF 1967

GKF 1967 Poems

The Best Poem Of GKF 1967

Horse Of Sandy Hook

Horse of Sandy Hook

In my hometown I see the strangest of sights and oddity ales
Like the other day I saw a lion by a small ashe tree chasing her tail
The sun was out, a ruby dawn and December sky blue
Was just enough for me to see her out of the zoo
And last week on Juniper, or was it Lincoln Road
there were
Penguins all dressed in Christmas parade led by a tall toad

And if you could believe me, though you just might not in this case
Some squirrel monkeys at the cemetery were holding a potato sack race

Most ordinary of days like these are and others, not dull if you can imagine
In a quaint little town for these most strangely ordinary things do happen
Even the lighthouse that stands tall poised with its guiding light
Will keep the longshore whales from drifting off their long ocean flight
For just last august, not far from Sandy Hook,
for a whole week
I saw things that could fill a most exquisite adventure book

Even my chums will attest to the events of late summer banter
When a war Horse raced down Sugar Street and then stopped to canter
The night some fire flies stole the flag from the local police station
the Police chief in the morning not making light of the situation
Or when my friend Jeremy Luts was riding his bike by the school
Stopped to watch some flamingos practice a conga line in martial rule

And yesterday?
Well, yesterday was the strangest of days as I looked out my window
I sat peering by the cold sill wondering where'd my friends go
With all the traffic and lights and adults buzzing in wild hurry
Leaving sleepy autumn leaves jumping with fright and furry
So in my curious pajamas, pink laced runners and windy hair
I left my perch and peeled by myself quick down the stairs
I thought maybe it was an early morning fire drill
A full scale kind,
all hands on deck, if you will
The normal strange sights that I would see by daybreak
Were nowhere in the Friday scenes my eyes could make

And that ashe tree where I saw the lion, I now could see a mom weeping
Holding on to a scarf I think, said her child lay in the school sleeping
I remembered that scarf, its blue, red, green and gray
A friend of mine has one just like it and she probably wore it that day
And Jeremy's flamingos were nowhere in line,
but only kids one by one
From Sandy Hook school, in the December sunshine

I even saw the chief of police in his most official hat and jacket
Trying to help most everyone make sense of this racket
Strangely, the Lighthouse, which normally keeps watch out sea
Was holding its glance at the town, the school and at me
Even the flag now back from the flies just august last
Was back flying lightly, but at only half mast
And the Newtown cemetery declared itself open for business
, which never happens just days before Christmas

that was yesterday,
yesterday?
Its quieter today, not even the wind has strength for a breeze
the Dogs haven't barked and the still of the trees
Waxwings are most humbled and the crows kind of look lost
No trains, no cars, no deliveries or snow to get tossed
Vast brown grassy fields seem to keep for themselves
Yesterday's news a secret from the silver holiday bells
All gray and tired is the war horse from yesterdays mourn
Now saddled with my town, my home and a scarf never to be worn

G.

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