Member Poem

My childhood fades into the barest dawn;
Whittled are the ruptured days gone by;
By a hunting knife I found beside the lake,
Much too big for the farmer's daughter
To carry in her overalls.
He warned me with a shotgun in the crook of one malignant arm
To leave his private property alone.
And to this day, my heart still yearns
To learn if he knew the difference.
She kissed me by the lakeshore's heartwood; Sundown.
My corduroys two sizes large and fading;
And nature caressed my blushing cheeks-
Till the skin on my face matched the burn of her hair
As it caught the sun just right.
Just right, I think-
That heavy night.
When the world awaited slumber.
At least the damn sun spoke of us
As if it cheered for love-
As if it hoped for more.
She transformed into a photograph
And I a memory;
Sealed by a kiss and a drop of wax-
I wonder if she's free.
And if the lonely days gone by
Remind her of us.
Of me.