POLLY IS DEAD

by Drew Howell
Roanoke, Virginia

The rustle of the trees
The flash of white
The cold steel becomes hot
The kill is made
The fresh meat
But 'twas not a deer it was
   POLLY
Polly is dead - the steel has
 murdered
   The veil is no more
    Polly Is Dead
The cold wood smacks the steel
Ripped, torn, and bent
  The steel is dead
 It shall never murder again
Polly Is Dead
The cold morning has met warm
blood
Polly Is Dead
The cold rope meets warm skin
The steel has claimed the life of a
man
POLLY IS DEAD

This poem was written in a 6th grade class at James Madison Middle School in 1999, in response to Barry Moser's adaptation of the ballad "Polly Vaughn."

Fiction and Poetry Index
Complete List of AppLit Pages on Folklore

Site Index AppLit logoHome