ALFRED THE COWBOY and THE NEW DAY | Mel Lindstrom Images

ALFRED THE COWBOY

and

THE NEW DAY

ALFRED THE COWBOY WAS RIDING ALONG

HE WAS PLAYING GUITAR AND SINGING A SONG

HE LOOKED AT HIS HANDS AND SO HE SAW

THAT HIS LEFT ONE HAD CHANGED INTO A PAW

HE LOOKED AT HIS RIGHT AND WHAT DID HE SEE?

IT TOO WAS CHANGING AND WOULD SOON BE

WELL HE COULD HE PLAY GUITAR THIS WAY

HE’D BE AN ANIMAL BY THE END OF THE DAY

BUT THEN HE REMEMBERED WHEN HE WAS A KID

HE SAW THE ANIMALS AND DID AS THEY DID

HE RAN AND JUMPED AND CRAWLED ON THE GROUND

HE HID IN PLACES HE COULD NOT BE FOUND

JUST THEN A VULTURE FLEW OVER HEAD

IT ASKED FOR THE LOCATION OF A GOOSE DOWN BED

“THEY’RE ALL I SLEEP IN THESE DAYS YOU KNOW

AND THE GOOSE DOWN MUST BE AS WHITE AS SNOW”

BUT ALFRED SAID NO, HE KNEW OFNO PLACE

AND SO THE BIRD LEFT AFTER GROWING A FACE

AND ALFRED COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE’S SEEN

BUT NOW THE SKY WAS CHANGING TO GREEN

THE SAND WAS BLOWING UP IN A STORM

THE SUN WAS GROWING AND GETTING QUITE WARM

THROUGH THE WIND BLOWN SAND HE PEERED

OUT WALKED A MAN IN BLACK ROBES AND A BEARD

HE WALKED QUITE SLOWLY, HE LEANED ON A CANE

THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIM HE DID NOT LOOK QUITE SANE

HE RAISED HIS ARMS AND SAID SOME WORDS

AND THEN THE SKY WAS FILLED WITH BIRDS

HE COMMANDED THEM TO LAND AT HIS FEET

SAID MORE WORDS AND HAD THE BIRDS REPEAT

THEN THEY STARTED GROWING TO FIVE AND SIX FEET TALL

THIS MAN WITH THE BEARD WAS CHANGING THEM ALL

WELL ALFRED SLIPPED OFF HIS HORSE AND HE FELL

HIS LEGS AND HIS ARMS WERE BEGINNING TO SWELL

HE CRAWLED AWAY ON ALL FOUR PAWS

WHICH, BY NOW, WERE COMPLETE WITH CLAWS

BUT LET’S FORGET ABOUT ALFRED AND GET BACK TO THE VULTURE

WHO IS OBVIOUSLY A BIRD OF SOME ACQUIRED CULTURE

HE, BY NOW, HAD NOT WINGS BUT ARMS

AND SO WAS SITTING ON A FENCE BETWEEN FARMS

HE COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE SAW THERE

THE CHICKENS HAD NOT FEATHERS BUT HAIR

HE LOOKED AROUND AND SAW MUCH MORE

THE COWS AND HORSES HAD TWO LEGS NOT FOUR

THE SUN HAD MELTED TREES AND HOUSE RIGHT DOWN

IN A MATTER OF SECONDS THEY WERE FLAT AS THE GROUND

AND NOTHING STOOD TALL BUT HALF ANIMAL, HALF MAN

THEN THE SKIES RANG OUT LIKE A FORTY PIECE BAND

THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES STOOD HIGH ABOVE ALL

HE LOOKED DOWN ON THE LAND FROM A HUNDRED FEET TALL

HIS DEEP BLACK SHADOW STRETCHED FAR ACROSS THE LAND

HE PICKED UP AN ANIMAL TO HOLD IN HIS HAND

THE ANIMAL HE HELD WAS NEITHER MAN NOR CREATURE

IT LOOKED LIKE MUTANT WITH NO DISTINGUISHING FEATURE

BUT THEN THROUGH THE SKIES A LOUD ROAR WAS HEARD

THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES KEPT SAYING ONE WORD

“HOLAND, HOLAND, HOLAND” HE SAID

THEN DROPPED THE ANIMAL AND HELD ONTO HIS HEAD

THEN SOME CLOUDS FORMED AND BLOCKED OUT THE SUN

“OH WITHER MY BROTHER WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

THE VOICE SPOKE QUITE LOUDLY IT CAME FROM UP HIGH

THE MAN IN BLACK ROBES YELLED BACK TO THE SKY

“I AM BRINGING PEACE TO THIS PLANET OF MINE

BEFORE YOU CAME I WAS DOING JUST FINE

SO GO NOW BY BOTHER AND LET ME BE

FOR IF YOU DON’T

I WILL ALSO CHANGE THEE”

WITH THAT ANOTHER HUNDRED FOOT MAN APPEARED

BUT HE WAS IN WHITE ROBES AND LONG FLOWING BEARD

“WHY DO YOU WISH TO MAKE THIS PLACE NEW?

THE COURSE OF THIS PLANET IS NOT UP TO YOU”

“HOLAND MY BROTHER YOU ARE SUCH A FOOL

I AM CHANGING THIS PLANET AND GIVING ANIMALS THE RULE

LOOK WHAT MAN HAS DONE TO THIS PLACE

HE HAS DESTROYED EVERYTHING BUT HIS OWN RACE

THIS WORLD IS NOTHING BUT SMOG AND POLLUTION

BUT I THE GREAT WITHER HAVE BEGUN THE SOLUTION

I AM CHANGING THE ANIMALS INTO MAN

AND GIVING THEM THE CHANCE TO DO WHAT THEY CAN”

“I WILL NOT LET YOU DO THIS WITHER MY BROTHER

THERE IS ONLYONE PLACELIKE THIS THERE SHALL BE NO OTHER”

“YOU DARE TO TEST YOUR POWERS ON ME

JUST ONE INCANTATION THEN YOU WILL SEE”

WITH THAT THEY BOTH GREW TO ENORMOUS HEIGHT

THE GROUND WAS TREMBLING AS THEY STARTED THE FIGHT

THE SKY WAS BLACKED WITHOUT ANY SUN

EACH ANIMAL STARED UPWARDS AS THE FIGHT BEGUN

LIGHTNING BOLTS FLASHED BACK AND FORTH, FORTH AND BACK

EACH ONE WAS DODGING THE OTHER’S ATTACK

THEN ALL THE WATERS FROM THE PLANET BELOW

BEGAN SHOOTING UPWARDS IN ONE GIANT FLOW

THEY SHOT TOWARDS HOLAND WITH TREMENDOUS FORCE

BUT TRY AS HE COULD HE COULD NOT ALTER ITS COURSE

IT STRUCK HIM SO HARD HE BEGAN ROLLING THROUGH SPACE

HE GRABBED ONTO A MOON TO HOLD HIMIN PLACE

HIS BROTHER WITHER WAS STANDING OFF FAR

SO HE REACHED OUT AND WHIRLED A FLAMING STAR

IT HIT WITHER RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF HIS ROBE

THERE WAS A GREAT BURST OF LIGHT LIKE AN ELECTRONIC STROBE

WITHER WAS HURT YOU COULD EASILY TELL

HE TRIED TO STAND BUT ONY FELL

HOLAND DID NOT LET UP WITH HIS BLOWS

BUT HE MISSED MORE OFTEN WITH MORE OF HIS THROWS

AND WITHER CAUGHT SOME BUT HE DID NOT THROW BACK

INSTEAD HE PILED THEM IN ONE LARGE STACK

“AND NOW DEAR HOLAND YOU SHALL LEARN OF MY POWER”

WITH THAT THE STAR BEGAN TO FLOWER

FROM EACH STAR THERE WERE STRANDS OF LIGHT

THEY INTERWEAVED AND BECAME QUITE BRIGHT

AND THE WHOLE OUTER SPACE WAS JUST ONE LARGE NET

SUCH AN AWESOME SIGHT I WILL NEVER FORGET

THE NET SURROUNDED HOLAND AND HELD HIM DOWN TIGHT

HE STRUGGLED AND STRUGGLED WITH ALL OF HIS MIGHT

BUT TRY AS HE COULD HE COULD NOT BREAK FREE

THEN THE NET SHRANK AND SHRANK TO THE SIZE OF A BEE

THEN IN ONE BURST OF LIGHT IT WAS GONE IN A FLASH

THE STARS ALL RETURNED AND SO ENDED THE CLASH

ALFRED BY NOW WAS COVERED WITH HAIR

HIS LEGS AND HIS BODY RESEMBLED A BEAR

A MAN SAT OFF FAR, IT WAS THE VULTURE HE KNEW

HE PLAYED A GUITAR, AND THE SKY WAS DEEP BLUE

THE BIRDS WERE SINGING, THE GRASS WAS GREEN

I LOOKED ALL AROUND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SCENE

TWO HUMAN FIGURES STOOD IN A STRAIGHT FORWARD POSE

THEY STOOD LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AS THE SUN ROSE

THE SILHOUETTE OF THEIR FIGURES WAS A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT

BUT THE QUESTION REMAINED, WAS ALL OF THIS RIGHT?

WITHER JUST STOOD THERE IN HIS ROBE OF BLACK

HE VIEWED HIS CREATION BOTH FRONT AND BACK

HE LIKED WHAT HE SAW AND HE WAS PROUD TO SAY

“I HAVE CHANGED THIS WHOLE PLANET SO BEGINS THE NEW DAY

I AM THE ONE TO GIVE THIS PLANET A NEW BIRTH

AND I SHALL CALL THIS NEW PLANET EARTH”

WITH THAT HIS BODY FADED INTO THE GROUND

I SEARCHED FOR HIM BUT NOT A TRACE COULD BE FOUND

SO YOU MAY ASK THE QUESTION, WELL JUST WHO AM I?

I AM THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE SKY

I WAS HERE IN THE BEGINNING AND I SHALL STAY TO THE END

SO IF YOU ARE WISE YOU WILL BECOME MY FRIEND

AT LEAST JUST LISTEN TO THESE WORDS THAT I SAY

IF YOU FAIL ONCE AGAIN THERE SHALL BE NO NEW DAY

http://old.melphoto.com/poetry/alfred-the-cowboy/