Li'l Runaway

I never noticed
'Til that day in the forest
While nothing seemed so wrong

The damp Autumn smell
I love in the air
In my cowl and my favorite clogs

Ash trees were swaying
When I heard a voice praying
Phrases that few ever hear

"Don't let them see me,
Don't make them cry."
His breath quivered as he knelt down there

From where I lay then
On the cold pavement
A thunderous throb in my mind

I felt my hands shaking
My heart I felt pounding
As I peered through a crack in the vine

Clearly his clothing by many worn
Bloody knees, tattered and torn
Way before his time

He kept on repeating
Such words with no meaning
So vivid was then as now

The crowded movements
Got closer and closer
As I tried not utter a sound

In a burst of emotion
The boy fled in an instant
Soon as his eyes caught my fray

All the officials
Were late as usual
And missed the li'l runaway

I stood in the distance
Shattered and miffed 'cause
They never did notice the signs

There was something I know
That read when I saw
Those misty, baby blue eyes

They felt like my brother
Or maybe another
Of time and place before

They yearned for comfort
Yet sprang of salvation
For those who would kill for more

Something told me
That one Autumn day
To quietly watch and listen

I remember his figure
Grew fainter and fainter
When something miraculous happened

I'd never believe it
So please don't repeat it
But I think he mysteriously vanished

I scurried away
That fine Autumn day
When everyone else was gone

Those people got lost
Amid their own truths
Of the boy who I knew found his home