Sixty years ago
so my grandfather says
Sixty years ago
they found the bodies
of four children
buried in shallow graves
They found them right here
in this crickbed
mostly dry except during spring rains
Ever since, dogs and horses
shy away
and kids dare each other to run through
Some boy over Palmer's Way
said he was set upon
by four wailing spirits
bleeding and glowing and foaming for justice
People laugh
but stay away
and they that go near
won't talk about it
A judge from 20 years back
retired and moved to Florida
after he walked through one night hunting quail
Every fall
the leaves start changing color
the mist hangs on just a little longer than normal
the wind blows colder and colder
Every night, I watch the
crickbed through binoculars
from my porch
peering through dying leaves and bare branches
past the cars on the highway
I watch and wait
but I see nothing
and I hear nothing
except the quail
crying for justice