A Truth, Youth & Youth

Long poem

A Killdeer was flying,

Striped breast, narrow wings,

As the willow grove below was rustling,

Laughing, Sighing Sounds.

As on the railroad trestle of silver,

Two young boys ran,

A youth and youth. 

Was this a running contest?

The Killdeer circled,

Perhaps the two boys were propelled

By anger or fear?

The Willows now

Were whispering, whispering murmurs, presages

When oaths and shouts pierced the air,

Cutting words, cursing voices,

The two boys indeed

Had been running in a deep ire

With each other. 

The Willows boughs bowed,

As the two youth turned away from each other

The First walked north, the seconded walked south,

They were mad at one another, they were separating.

The Killdeer was still calling his whistle,

"Kill-Dee, Kill-Dee"!" ,

Faintly, Faint, Faint,

And the Willow Grove below hung

In Frozen, Pregnant Silence,

When a new whistle pierced the air,

Air-Piercing, Ear-Alarmed. 

Now the Killdeer fell quiet,

Hovering, Wavering,

As the Willows in the Willow Grove were trembling,

Swaying boughs, jouncing leaves,

For Now, in Alarm,

The First Youth who had marched north

From the Quarrel,

Was tripling his pace south,

While parallel, the Second youth had reversed

His pace too and ran north

Towards his pal. 

Rescue, Rescue each boy thought, death is close,

A phantom speed, the locomotive indeed loco,

Now forming a Satan's grim grin. 

The Killdeer, faltering, screams.

The Willows below had stilled in prescient sense,

When triumphant death, the iron locomotive monster,

Roared, Pounding sounds, clanking wheels,

Now the Killdeer lands, keening his mourns,

The Willows weep, prescience too true,

As in mocking events

The end caboose of the monster slayer train vanishes.

The Killdeer still keening "Killed, Killed",

The Willow Grove is quiet with whispering,

Sighing Sorrows

For Hands the youth & youth had held

As they were train-slain. 

The Youth and the Youth

Who, now united,

were twin and twin

Jason and Jason

And Brother and Brother.

Composed October 12, 1970; Finished December 12, 1970

EIU Charleston Illinois

Age 18

Raymond Lee Collins

RaymondoftheWoods

copyright reserved

Carol A Wells

Author's Note

posted posthumously in loving memory; note: believe this is very loosely based on actual event where as young kids RaymondoftheWoods and I met a train on steep hill along a willow swamp while birdwatching...we both had to run but were okay