Once two boys aged eight or nine,
Discovered lying upon the ground,
Lovely colors, on feathers so fine,
Lying there without a sound.
They were side by side,
Where the hunter had them laid.
The boys knew they had died,
And sadly looked at the sight they made.
With small sticks and hands,
They dug in the ground.
Moving rocks and sand,
Without making a sound.
Then they were through,
And the holes were deep.
The birds hidden from view,
To start their long sleep.
Perhaps you ask how it is I know.
It’s easy really for you to see.
On that Fall day, long ago,
One of those two boys was me.

James Garrett is a former Benicia High School teacher and the author of “Benicia and Letters of Love”, “The Mansion Stories”, “Chief Salt”, “The Golden Era”, and “One Great Season, 9-0!” The above poem won a second-place ribbon at the 2010 Solano County Fair.

Do you have insightful, topical or just all around creative poetry that you’d like to share with the Benicia community? Submit your poems to beniciaherald@gmail.com, and they may be published in Friday’s Poetry Corner and possibly online at BeniciaHeraldOnline.com. All ages are welcome to contribute, but the content must be appropriate. You do not need to be a resident of Benicia to submit your poem.

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