Today Poem by Christopher Wynn Bucklin

Never had I seen a kid
Look half as happy as he did.
Running, laughing, chasing bugs-
Always a smile and ready hugs.

They would have seen this if they’d cared
To look beyond the face they feared-
Or taken time to just inspect
And see the heart beyond defect.
But such an effort none would make
And now they can’t, because the lake
Was beautiful one ugly day.
And calling for a boy to play.

Here then gone within a flash.
A simple slip. A sudden splash.
If only someone were around
They would have surely heard the sound,
The cries, the shouts, the panicked breath
Before he sank down to his death.

Deeply loved and deeply gone.
Can you blame a mother who can’t move on?
Who can’t forgive? Who can’t let go?
Who cannot rest until they know?
Until they feel, regret, and pay
For what they did to her that day?
Or blame a boy who couldn't remain
Within the grave that he’d been lain?

These are the questions you should ask
When you see my son beneath the mask.
But you won’t. It wouldn't help anyway,
Because this week ends on the thirteenth day.