ode to my sister lilylulay

ode to my sister lilylulay

i

The city noise is a carpet of confusion among

the incandescent street lamps

The moon is a faint din suffocated by the smog

puffing from the

coal plant's smoke stacks

The alley-way is a garbage stinkin' narrow

black tarry cut

across the dirt back-yards of a neighborhood block

And the

Hawg Rider

is

Riding--Riding--Riding

Yes...Yes

the

Hawg Rider

is

riding up to my family's

old wooden house back door

I hear my Daddy's grand-father clock

strike

Twelve Chimes

It's midnight...

Midnight

ii

He wears not helmet... not cap

his long blond curly hair

matted and twisted locks

constrained only by a red folded silk bandana

worn across his forehead

The wolf tail... the wolf tail

I see a wolf tail braided into his wild unkempt hair

A zippered jacket of black dull leather he wears

and

his coat buckle torn and the belt's a'hangin'

and

he wears blue faded denim jeans

with never a wrinkle or tear

His buffalo skin boots sixteen inches high

He rides his motorcycle with a jeweled twinkle

The diamonds of eternal love in his eyes

There is his

shiny bone white butt of his

Colt Python Magnum revolver

is peeking from behind

his unzipped waist length animal skin garment

I see the metallic motor beast that he rides

with its

chrome exhaust pipes

a gleaming ´n its red-yellow flames

spitting

Yes...Yes

He rides his motorcycle with a jeweled twinkle

under the polluted night sky

iii

Over the tarry surface he rumbles

and

across the dirt of our back yard

then cut his hand-throttle to a gentle growl

He knocks his brass knuckles

onto the wooden shutters

for my Daddy

keeps us all locked-´n-boarded

and

then he whistles a tune piercing the silent night

and i hear my sister astir

I see my darling sister

her eyes alight with love and wonder

faintly illuminated by the porch security light

that my sister has smothered to hide her

boyfriend dear

iv

The razor shaven man's voice is deep and audible

and

i hear him say to my sister

lilylulay...lilylulay

One kiss for me my lover

for i have one more delivery tonight

and

then look for me by morning light

O...

look for me then my sweetheart

for now i must go

and

prowl the night

But if...

my darling

lilylulay

those Po-po dragnet the 'hood

then look for me by

midnight

Though beast, man and daemon

may try and block

my way...

I promise to take you away from this hell-hole

by

midnight

I see him

like a noble Knight stand upon his stead

to embrace his princess dear

his large black leather skinned arms

caress my sister and hold her near

v

My sister captures him with her strong arms

and

presses her ruby red lips to his lips

for a kiss

slow and tender is their kiss

The man pulls back and reaches for his pocket

he snaps open a stiletto switch-blade knife

its blade razor sharp

i see reflected in the big man's eyes

He grasps a lock of his hair

and

he cuts this golden swath from his head

and

he places the hair bundle into my sister's hand

My sister ties her perfumed yellow silk scarf

around the man's neck

and

the animal skin clad giant of a man

sits down upon his saddle seat

He throttles his metallic beast

into a fearful howl

and

he rides his iron stallion

vanishing into the foggy mist

I hear him laughing out loud

I look and I see

my beautiful sister

lilylulay

is braiding her hair

My sister is braiding

that man's blond strands of his hair

into her long silky auburn locks of her hair

as she contently stares into the misty night air

I hear her whisper, ever such a whisper

"My faithful husband,

God has blessed us

and

I cannot wait to tell you the news."

vi

He did not come by morning light

the sound of his motorcycle

was not heard at noon

"Son it's supper time, call your sister"

but

i could only tell my father

"Dad, she wants to stay in her room."

The shadows grew long

and

the blazing red, yellow, white sun

My sister and I

we watched the glowing ball sink into the west

Now a dark blue, velvet dome

speckled with sparkling lights

covered our heads

the moon has gone to hide

vii

I am awakened to the sound of thunder

No

I hear the crash of the front door

is smashed off its hinges

and

i jump from my bed

I see the black uniformed helmeted men

shod with jack-boots

armed with black rifles

and

the red lazer' beam dots

marking my father's forehead

My mother is screaming

and

the black uniformed man grabs her by her hair

he pushes her face into

our fabric sofa seat

her voice is smothered there

I witness these county
GOONs

beat my mother and father to the ground

and

twist their arms around their backs

and

clasp silver hand-cuffs upon their wrists

I see a strike to my father's skull

the Po-po is strong with his flashlight

My mother and father are dragged past

the

demolished front door

My sister and i watch and we hide

viii

I see there is

a black rifle

sudden death at every window

Look...

a shotgun

is at the back door

I hear my Daddy's grand-father clock

strike

Twelve Chimes

It's midnight...

Midnight

ix

The night silence is broken by a rhythmic sound

it's the whistled tune

i know so well

piercing the silent darkest night

with not a moon in the sky

dark, dark, dark is our hide

A man's deep audible voice i hear

whisper at the back door

"Lilylulay... lilylulay

my sweetheart

my eternal love

Come with me tonight"

x

The shotgun explosion

i hear

is deafening to my ears

and

the flames hiss with lead balls

projectiles shot from the steel weapon's barrel

held in the hands of the

black uniformed man

hiding at the back door

I am still frozen in our hide

but my sister

lilylulay

Is not at my side

The beams of light from flashlights

held by the black uniformed men

crisscross before my eyes

Horror... Horror

I see before my eyes

Horror etched into my mind forever

is

my darling sister

lilylulay

her body twisted and deformed

her flesh torn open

she is lying in her pool of deep-red blood

lifeless

I look into her dead eyes

What is this that i witness

stirring within my sisters abdominal cavity

a little hand

small feet

they moved, i am certain

and

disappear in a pool of blood

"Damn it... fuckin' damit'

Wolfman is one lucky mutha' fucker

we'll see him again boyz.'"

Says the black uniformed shotgun armed man

lighting a cigarette

standing over my dead sister's corpse

with the blond man's hair

braided neatly into

her blood stained

long silken auburn locks of hair

xi

I recall vividly...

the TV newsmen anchors announcing

that following day

of a

Judge

and six Sheriff Deputies

to be buried

along with an un-named

blond haired man

with a wolf tail braided into his hair

and

a yellow silk scarf

tied around his neck

xii

My sister lilylulay was cremated

and

her ashes set to the wind

my father died in the hospital

from injuries from that

police raid

my mother died in a state nursing home

i saw her crying each day

The wooden house was in that empty lot

it was torn down

I heard them neighbors talk

no one wanted to live in that house

the tenants all complained...

of hearing motorcycle engine sounds

and

a young woman's words

whispered only at midnight

a gentle loving voice

Yes...Yes

they always heard the the voice say,

"O... johnnie... please don't come now."

xiii

Ten years ago tonight

it happened that way

I don't much remember my eleventh birthday

the following day

O...

listen closely, do you hear it too

Twelve Chimes in the distance

It's midnight

Midnight

Elizabeth...

my love

hold me tight

Elizabeth...
my darling

We leave this hell hole tonight

and

you and i my wife

Ride

Ride

Ride

We ride my Harley Hawg far, far, out of sight...

the end

Photograph Credit
Copyright © Elizabeth Ashley Photography


@supadupaflygirl

Poem
Copyright © ralph marie de largo

January 27, 1988


@ProLifePoet


1376 WERDZ