Dawn in a Daisy

[couchgrouch]

Dawn in a DaisyJan'd climb down that willow, soon after the sun went downwander out and toss pebbles, in the old well she'd foundthe echoes sounded like her dad, whisp'ring soft n lowthough he'd been killed by a burglar, many months agoshe'd walk back as morning, rose slow and lazystop by a dewey hillside, and see dawn in a daisynow a rancher was their neighbor, and he'd stop by with papershe was tryin' to get Jan's mama to signthough he owned a thousand acres, since Jan's pa met his Makerthat rancher'd been sniffin' 'round their fencelinebut when life gets blurry and the horizon gets hazyhearts don't hafta worry, if they see dawn in a daisyone evening Jan found her mama, crying in their barnher milking dress was torn and, she had bruises on her armsJan went out by that well, and sat till sunrise rolled inher tears sailed like petals, on the southern windshe looked across the fenceline, where calves were grazingand in her heart of darkness, she saw dawn in a daisythose echoes gave her the answer, so Jan told that ranchercalves had wandered through a hole in their fencewhen he went out in that meadow, that well was hid by hay n shadowand no one's seen that wicked rancher sinceJan walked out as the moon, rose slow and lazyand the gold in its light, seemed like dawn in a daisythat rancher fell by the wayside, the only wreath by his gravesitewas a circle of crows above the wellsometimes vengeance must be violent, those whispers fin'lly fell slilentwith her father's killer now deep in hellnow when April is bloomin' green n wild and crazyJan kneels by his tombstone and sees dawn in a daisy(c)2007 Robert George