I've Seen Too Much of It

Brief messages of complexity found in the simple things. I studied him Like the university he was. . . Earned the several degrees under his thick eyebrows. Sometimes eagerly lapping the lesson, Sometimes resistant But a well disciplined student Who listened with him to pheasant wings beating a woodland drum; To crickets under his hearthstone; To the angry bee buzzing out of the Catalpa bloom; To the music made by leaf colors falling. . . A student who watched small birds search the snow; Tall ridges comb the clouds; Roses strive in vain; Cloud ships in the sky; Mules thinking of oats; Dogwood blooms falling on blue pond waters. . . Today the library burned; I felt it useless to start another But he would have demanded it. "Look at the volumes you already have!" he'd say. "Rebuild, Rebuild, Rebuild!" —James B. Goode I've Seen Too Much of It I've seen too much of iti?t to be wide-eyed again. . . X ^ ^ Was once a towheaded boy in these hills,. "^ Freckled naivete-J!*-,; >¦¦' „ (/ $ Until Vietnam*£/¦ , ^^"^, When people I tried to hug afterwardsr ' ?. \ Had no arms.=**·- *¦# Learned too much about people, Saw too much of it To be wide-eyed again. Heard the rock that fell On my best friend. Saw my Daddy choose a Saturday, When he was supposed to be at the flea market, Die quietly On the toolhouse steps. I've seen too much of it To be wide-eyed again. —James B. Goode 67 ...