Scarecrow

 

Lonely

His clothes are tattered, and his hat is worn,

He is stuffed with straw on this autumn morn,

His arms outstretched, he stands alone,

The lonely cornfield is his home,

The corn stalks are his only friend,

Subtly rustling with the wind,

Scaring away others is his dutiful job,

But if he had eyes, he would surely sob,

He wants to come down off the rigid pole,

To play amongst the cornstalks is his goal,

Alas, a black crow lands on his arm,

He is thrilled when he should be full of alarm,

If he had a mouth, he’d be smiling ear to ear,

 If he had ears, that is, let me be clear,

His face is painted on, so he keeps the same expression,

And the black crow does not know of his depression,

But the black crows have added joy to his day,

A few more are resting on him before they fly away,

He knows he has failed at what the farmer intended,

But his heart (and he has one) feels so splendid,

He has companionship for the very first time,

He has broken the scarecrow paradigm.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  10/2/2023