Foundling - A Tale From Possum Lake Poem by Robert Eckstein

Ma came into the bedroom and gently shook Luther awake
"You'd best get up and on the phone, call Clem and Clyde and Jake.
"There's a basket on the front porch, and the tag says it's for you.
"There's a baby tucked inside it and I'm not sure what to do."

The baby in the basket had a wide and toothy grin.
Luther shrugged his shoulders, "Well we gotta take him in.
"He might be green and scaly, but we'll raise him like our own.
"Maybe his folks can take him back some time before he's grown."

They started him on pablum then moved on to grits and greens,
And still recall how proud he was to get his first blue jeans.
He really did quite well in school and made the wrestling team,
And when he smiled his toothy smile, all the girls would scream.

When he first laid eyes on Sally, he felt both hearts skip a beat
And as he walked uo to her, there was air beneath his feet.
He bowed and gave a little smile, and asked her for a dance;
With her friends there all around her, she thought she'd take a chance.

He took her little hand in his and waltzed her round the floor
Then bowed and and said, "If it's alright, perhaps just one dance more? "
The folks were all astonished as they watched the graceful pair;
The green and scaly fellow, the girl with golden hair.

When it came time for college, he aced his A.C.T.
And said as he was leaving, "A lawyer's life for me!
"You know I love you. I'll be back. I couldn't stay away.
"In court, a scaly lawyer wil surely win the day! "

He made the Harvard Law Review and job offers poured in
But he said, "My home is Possum Lake, " and gave a toothy grin
"Those people gave me all I have and made me what I am
"And I will stay to help them if they're in a legal jam".

Sally waited for him though she's never said she would.
Her friends and parents really didn't think her plans were very good.
He hung his shingle near the square, their apartment is above.
Business is good, he's doing well, and they are still in love.