Star Socks Fox on the Line
Sun bright sheets billow, guises of battle standards, sails, and wings—
among them, upon ripples of grass lay a book, open to page sixty-four,
Where the Sidewalk Ends, the name of a place at the end of all things.
Between the snap and bite of white, a fox from Alder Tree’s shore,
strung up, pinned ear to ear, bounced and jounced, high on the line.
And below, she sat, held the book that lay open to page sixty-four.
Phi, irrational exception to rationale, a child who saw the fox shine—
Yes, a humble creature strung up by the ears, an Impossible Thing,
the fox sewn of socks, cobalt and gold, rode the wind on the line.
Concealed amid agreeable grasses, Phi marked her page with a string,
a smile of bliss kissed across her face, a breath of peppermint wind—
now was the time, as she heed it, the voice of an Impossible Thing.
That whisper, heard by the heart, not the head, a truth from within,
a call that made a small wonderer, ponder how to set a sock fox free.
An answer at the edge of a pond sat, a bucket, up-ended in the wind.
All a’clatter, after it Phi bound, a bucket tumbling toward the sea,
eyes on her prize, a bucket, first step on the road to the Alder Door.
Sun bright sheets, guise of the Last Great Ripple Gannet’s Wings—
and Phi perched on a bucket waits, clutching an Impossible Thing.
Rueful Tyrannosaurus.
Just a boy, an Ichabod sort with feet too big and a nose too short.
Long legged and gangling he resembled a crane, one half grown
with strawberry hair and bright amber eyes rich as the best port.
Those eye how they gleamed, watched Phi's queer plan take shape,
she was in need of some help if this plan had the chance to prevail.
Phi required someone who wielded wonders, a Great Towel Cape!
Young Hero Campbell was just such a requisite—enterprising fellow.
With a temper as sweet, as biting as his bright hair he said, 'Hey you!’
Phi in her haste to reach that bucket, tripped…winded as a bellows.
Grey eyes burned, a quiet rage, Phi gained her feet belying her age.
No tears trickled o'er her sand abraided knees, she Queen Phi—
regal as you please, awaited the champion to save her old sage.
Hero Campbell, a champion, rash and untutored, willing to try
strolled through the goldening growth of shore grass, stretched
a long finger hand to reach her. Queen Phi who refused to cry.
With a nod and a whistle he accepted her quest to save the Fox,
for he could reach where the very small could not, should not be—
Hero with his towel a’ billow waded into sheets to seek the Socks.
Fast as a mumble, soft as rain he faced the waves of clean white.
Not blade of grass, nor loam ripe fingerprints could be left behind
or a wily old raptor would have him in her frumiously keen sight.
To save the Sock, a good Hero required a faithful, fearless steed.
And for Hero, his beast was quite fine, a Tyrannosaurus, rueful—
of his teeth, his size, his might. Just the dinosaur for such a deed.
The real Rueful Tyrannosaurus...