Have you gone down in the dark where none is welcome?
He heard the constant sound between the
Walls of our house. He tried to locate it.
He attacked the wash with fierce energy
As if to get rid of the troubled ideas which boiled in his head
Like the water in the bubbling tanks
No, nothing, never
He threw the dirty whites into the
Washer, and closed the lid with a bang.
He felt the angry waves rush at him
As though they would tear him from his seat,
And great sheets of stinging spray were flung in his face.
No, nothing, never
No, nothing, never
"Poor thing," she said,
"I suppose it's not quite right in its little head."
She fed him bread and milk on the end of a sliver of wood,
Which he took willingly, and soon he was growing fat and strong.
No, nothing, never
She would encourage him by talking to him and he would start again,
Step by step, feeling the way,
And only putting his foot down
When he sensed firm ground beneath him.
No, nothing, never
No, nothing, never
His food is given him in a plate and he is handed a spoon with which
He eats as well as any ordinary
Child, seldom spilling any of the food.
When he has finished, he hands the plate and spoon to the keeper who,
In turn, hands him a napkin with which he
Thoroughly removes all traces of his dinner.
If given soap, water and towel,
He will wash and dry his face and hands.
He does many things which he has
Apparently learned through observation.
No, nothing, never
No, nothing, never
No, nothing, never
When our Bobby was about a year old,
Our dear little Toodles had a paralytic stroke and passed away.
We buried him back of the barn.