Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The multicolored ball – v5


despair made me remember
his moment of sheer terror
freezing cold, as he was
bruised, in panic, at a moment of loss
wanting his friend, I could see it
the ball he had carried, his body crying
wanting to run to it, to be rebellious
but already lined up, waiting
waiting, compliant, a good boy,
to return to the classroom
not wanting to break any rules
but secretly watching, wanting

left, discarded, gathered by the wind
finding a place, resting, silent
in the lee of the storage shed
a multicolored ball, his old friend
the ball he had taken outside
before the day took its turn
his slight body now buffeted
by the wind, the switchbacks
by falling on the granite dust
navigating the thin wood
the place beyond the fields
where he and the other played

standing in line, shivering in the cold
the too-thin, threadbare t-shirt
not nearly enough, the open sweatshirt
his body shuddering, waiting
for the bell to ring, but what of the ball
that lost but not forgotten
the friend far from him, want to run
breaking the rules to run to get it
out of the question, absurd
another to retrieve it, like a basketball
but colors of summer, once bright,
now faded on the ground


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Edited September 24, 2013
“The multicolored ball – v5”
Edited September 21, 2013
“The multicolored ball – v4”
April 7, 2013
“The multicolored ball – v2”
April 6, 2013
“The multicolored ball”
Deerfield Community School
April 3, 2013

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 25,720+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

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