The Most Beautiful Boy In Town Poem by Jana Lee Wong

you loved the most beautiful boy in town,
the most popular in the whole school
the one caught in a fire on his farm-
propane tank exploded unexpectedly
burning his body all over. Rolling,
his daddy tried to put him out, but
“third degree burns, he’ll never
look the same, body wrapped up like a mummy.”

all that summer we wondered
whether he’d make it through,
or want to die if he did.

daddy wouldn’t take us to see him,
said it was too gory of a thing to do,
to watch a nice boy like that
writhe in pain.

do you remember the day we saw him
one year later inside the thrifty’s drugstore?
“nicer than he was before the accident,
got a soul that’s good as god.”

we didn’t see any scars or pain or suffering—
he was jesus walking on water by then.