Drifter Boy

a sestina (ish)

In the darkness stood a boy
Looking down into the water
A face stares back from depths of black
With eyes of unfamiliar cold
His feeling numb and heartbeat fast
No longer can he be a child tonight

Ran away into the night
Like a Neverland lost boy
To escape the past if he runs fast
His sad blue eyes begin to water
Fleeing from his home so cold
Purple marks upon his face turn an ugly black

A father’s fist, upon his mind, had left a shadow black
A poor youth cries alone this night
Tragedy again is told in a world so very cold
Tis’ violence makes a man from boy
A stagnant truth uncleansed by water
He scrubs his tears but the pain sticks fast

A distant sound is coming fast
A locomotive shining black
Running farther from the water
Child, hop a freedom train this night
Fate has made this lowly drifter boy
His breath comes hot, his blood grows cold

One boxcar open, dark, and cold
He grasps the handle and leaps in fast
Like a broken toy, this poor broken boy
will be but a memory painted black
enveloped by the dark of night
His mind is running like rapid water

Riding the rails like a sailor adrift in water
only his thoughts to keep away the cold
Try as he might, he’s fading tonight
“I've suffered enough, please, Lord take me fast”
He cries out to the shadows as his vision grows black
No one shall miss one small drifter boy

Many a night, out in the cold, recurs the tale of this drifter boy
No family in black shall mourn them, gone as fast as running water

 

Author's Note

if you took the time to read it, please take the extra 3 seconds to leave a review. thank you

Reviews

[JB Murray]

Truly a powerful piece. A poem, a tale... nice and easy flow throughout. I love the line "Child, hop a freedom train this night" This a pretty outstanding piece...congrats and nice job!

[Adrian K. Smith]

There really should be some law against the sting of tears at 7:25 AM on a Saturday morning, and if there were, there is no doubt that a jury would quickly convict and that the judge would impose the most severe sentence. The manner in which this piece flows, pulling you along as line after line cuts into you, is cruel in the brutal reality that you offer us so well and unjust in the justifiable manner you take us in hand - shaking us, throwing us down, rubbing our faces in it to make us aware of the lack of justice in this world where abuse so oft takes place. This was a well written piece, an emotional work...wish I had read it later in the morning, but I read it now and as my throat begins to itch, I say well done.

[ace]

excellent work

[Bhavya Kaushik]

I liked this piece, the description and detailing in this was totally flawless.
I also equally loved the flow which made it very for the reader to read it in a more poetic way.
Great work :)

[Ben]

Great job! :)