The Story Of Little Johnny Poem by Sandra Martyres

The Newspaper boy walked up to the house
Only to find the door ajar and no one around
Unusual he thought, as little Johnny too
Was missing from his vantage point at the window
He left the paper in the doorway and rang the bell
There was no response not even from the dog
Then as he reached the gate he had a strange urge
To enter the place and check why it was so quiet
Turning back he spotted what looked like a child
Lying inert on the floor covered with what appeared
To be a very thick and heavy blanket of snow.
All kinds of thoughts rushed through his mind
Who was this boy and where did he come from?
Was he dead or just frozen in the cold?
He approached the figure on the ground with fear
Looking closely at him he realized it was Johnny
Beneath the woolen cap and the thick muffler
He spotted the rosy cheeks and tight brown curls
With snow flakes entangled in them but, he did not
Touch the child in case he was hurt or even dead
Big tears rolled down his freckled cheeks
The Newspaper Boy, terrified by now ran across
The street straight into a neighboring home
Crying aloud that little Johnny was probably dead
Being Christmas morn most people were still asleep
After the midnight festivities so he shouted to be heard
Ambulances and Police rolled in and a ruckus followed
The Noise finally awakened little Johnny’s parents
They struggled outside in their night clothes
To check what all the noise was about and froze
As they saw the police shoveling away in their garden
They could not imagine that it was their own son
Being extricated from several inches of snow
He had probably been sleepwalking and had slipped
What they discovered was amazing - Johnny was asleep
With his pet dog stretched across him to keep him warm
The little boy did survive but the doggy did not….