Legler, Philip

English

University of New Mexico

New Mexico Quarterly
Volume 30 | Issue 3 Article 6
1960
When the Bough Breaks
Philip Legler
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Recommended Citation
Legler, Philip. "When the Bough Breaks." New Mexico Quarterly 30, 3 (1960). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmq/vol30/iss3/6
Winter NightTanka
A warmcupwith an
old friend sometitiieswillstay the
season,
and friendly
talk melts all the ice outSide
with promise: spring is assured.
-Kenneth LawrenceBeaudoin
When the Bough Breaks
No wind or rain blows down. tttseep
T4tough muddy:shoes,onlyasweU
OfweedsashoVeltutnsdirt.:cheap•.
The air isheavy" holds the smell
Ofhoneysuckle,dustS,thistralli"
Q£headstones asthe'womenwail
And lean and~way.'I'heai~isdry.
The weedsarollJ1dhi~passhim by,
Run wilder.Letthewh?leiPI~~e;go,
They'11rieverfindlfun'iFtliey'try~
Handlehimeasy,,'burfhirii'slow.
Now handle him easy, bury hUn deep, .
Cover his long blackbody well.
Stand back,letaII the fam11y weep
In shadows thathis eyes compel.
Here no one goes hishond or bail
And silencelike a mourner's veil
Imprisons us, locks out your eye
From mine.So let the ~othercry
A little. Later, weeds'willgrow,
Cover him up with weeds knee-high,
Handle him easy, buryhim slow..
.Death is a broom we: hold to sweep
Our Su.nday houses clean, no bell
To wake whatever dreams we keep- .
Maybethe shadowwithin hiS cell
Thatmeasured him for each detail.
The fingers on thehard bed rail
Thatopened slowly, lightandshy,
Thatdz1umned away the ljghter sky.
Maybe the bones thatcould not know
Howlips mustmove from sigh tosigh.
Handlehim easy, buryhimslow.
Behind the couctli0use,uptIies£¢ep
And'brokensteps--ttetriett.toyell
Butn~t fromCoU1ltitlg4a.y.sot~lteep- . . .
Tea men camefromth~~lghe$hotel,
BOUhd,thentook lUshlack.an~f.nUl'
SkinandboIiesfromth~cQ1lIltyjaiI.
Here is the grave'\oVhile.!?~and I •.•.·Saideeny,·m~Ily,s<:otchoI:rye,
'.they caught:tha~'Iligger'by,th¢toe, ...
He holleredimd they:wa.tched himdie.'
HandI6himeasy,oury.hitnslow.
The riverthatwashedhirn in a heap
Didn'tbleac:hhifii,didn'tspell
His name oIiWatet. Let him.sleep.
Forget him;Ietthe oth<;.rs tell
Theirstory. Wbat'salyhchingtaler
Leavmg{westepasifto riail.
Thatcoffin. dowft.Cotrienext'JU1y~
nays will.bewann, peoplewqn'tpry
S,o much. 'FhencomeDC¢eInber,snow
WillmakethiSvisitof.ours aIie,
Handlehim ea$y, bury himsl~w.
.--PhilipLegler
. 263
1
Legler: When the Bough Breaks
Published by UNM Digital Repository, 1960


When the Bough Breaks

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When the Bough Breaks

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