Garden of Freedom

[couchgrouch]

Garden of FreedomSometimes Pvt. Helm found it hard to keep faith and copethe desert and streets of rubble seemed so barren of hopethen he saw a young boy standin' in some old abandoned hutweeping at the ruin his schoolhouse had come to bePvt. Helm saw hunger haunting the face of that poor childso he fed him canned meatloaf and pudding till that boy smiledwhen fate seemed empty-handed that soldier's kindness plantedone small seed that could become libertycos when faith won't growand the soil looks beatenand you feel hell and gonefrom the rivers of Edenremember heaven knows, sometimes a single roseis a garden of freedomAutumn had climbed the walls and that prisonyard was coldEarl was waiting on May when he was up once more for parolehe was standing in a corner out of the wind where it's warmerand he found a bluebird with a wounded winghe hid it in his pocket and nursed it back in his cellturned it loose in early April after it got wellwhen he saw that bluebird flyin' old Earl started cryin'cos the sky told him he'd make parole that Springyeah, when faith won't growand the soil looks beatenand you feel hell and gonefrom the rivers of Edenremember heaven knows, sometimes a single roseis a garden of freedom(c)2006 Robert George