Adelia was bedeviled
by the deal she got from me
she was bedeviled by the things
that she could feel but could not see
not that I was near
my dear Adelia when she died
the preacher said she left
us here to be with Jesus Christ
they buried dear Adelia
in a grove upon a hill
I visit it and sit
with dear Adelia still
she’s gone to be with Jesus
unbedeviled, no more fear
of unheard voices, unclear thoughts
at peace Adelia dear
She was a witness to disaster
And emotional upheaval
She’d seen families that were torn apart
And in economic despair
There were carnal violations
There was blood upon the easel
But she didn’t seem to notice
Or she didn’t seem to care
You said happiness is a puzzle
Some unworkable conundrum
And life is never really that
What life appears to be
Love and hate and in between
Sorrow, joy or boredom
We’ll not project the paladin
And not impose our sympathy
I was sitting in a diner
You were right across the table
I was drinking coffee
You were busy with your phone
I asked if you were happy
You didn’t even answer
I thought I caught a smile from you
But I could never know
In the streets and on the avenue
They are dancing, they are dancing
On the bridge and in the plaza
They are dancing to and fro’
“The beast is dead. They’ve killed the beast.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Fear no more; the beast is dead.
Let us rejoice and dance.”
“No longer shall we fear the night.
We are safe now; we are safe now.
Our cattle and our goats are safe now.
They have killed the beast.”
Alone and on the edge of town, though
A young man waited, a young man waited
He had seen the wolves beyond
The young man waited all alone.
In the town hall the council’d counseled
Great orations, long debates
“Shall we slay this threat’ning beast
Or shall we let it be?”
Townfolk talked and spoke of horror
Slaughtered calves and slaughtered lambs
Some had claimed that wolves had feasted
Though most voices blamed the beast.
Some had pondered, others wondered
“Where are the wolves? What’s happened to the wolves?”
“Just be glad,” the mayor chanted,
“Just the beast for now.”
“Save the calves and save the lambs!”
They had shouted, they had shouted
But none had died within her lifetime
One small child replied.
“Blame the beast for what?” she asked.
She was silenced, they were silenced
Even wolves are frightened by it
Some had whispered to themselves.
To the hills and to the valleys
Armed with shotguns, armed with rifles
To the forests, hills and valleys
Armed with vengeance, “Kill the beast!”
In the streets and on the avenue
They are dancing, they are dancing
On the bridge and in the plaza
They are dancing to and fro’
“The beast is dead. They’ve killed the beast.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.”
But late that night when darkness fell
The howling wolves were heard once more . . .