with a halfway grin
that never met his shallow cheeks
he ran
with feeble legs that
bent and folded like petty napkins.
in the hut he ran from
shadows fell on a lone bed for five
only bedclothes were missed.
& the boy with the halfway grin
danced with time.
Author notes
PROMPT - Quote:
"he was the only kid I knew that could stay out all night and not be missed..."
~by Claude Brown from the Novel, "Manchild in the Promiseland"~
-i hope this was what you were looking for. 
A contest entry
- Sunday Afternoon Quickie by poetryality.
600 points, ended October 13, 2008, 9 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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there's a touch of magic to this.
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Such an in depth piece to go along with the prompt. Abstract and thought provoking. Congrats on the gold my dear!
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ahhh! this was really nice! really!
loved these lines:
"with feeble legs that
bent and folded like petty napkins."
lovely
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"in the bare hut
where shadows fell on
a lone bed for five"
This is as good a reason to fly as any for some.
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Have you ever read "The People who could Fly"?
http://www.virginiahamilton.com/pages/people.htm
I used to read that story to my children when their cousins spent the night. Your poem took me there. Possibly you've read the book; "Man child in the Promise Land" because that is why the kid in the quote was not missed. Your poem spells it out. Poverty creates creases with abandonment in each pleat. Sad, melancholy, and hurtful even, but very finely crafted. Thank you for this entry in my challenge and I wish you well.
Much Love & Respect ♥
Renee
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thank you for your comment
stangely enough, i have never read the book. but the quote itself was one of the most painful, yet powerful, quotes i have ever read. thank you for your well wishes. hope this contest turns out well for you
-checkmate.
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needs more. Like give a reason why the boy wasn't missed.
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thank you for the comment. i'll try to edit this again, hopefully.
-checkmate.
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