Wednesday, September 20, 2023

And the Walls Came Down

Old man Millsap was a sad little creature.

He lived down the road with his wife and daughters

Who, sad to the world, had their father's features

And grew to be spinsters with no social graces.

 

A quiet sort, old Millsap, the handyman;

Skilled with a hammer and saw or a wrench.

He could build a shed in the spit of a minute,

Clean up and be gone without leaving a trace.

 

Everyone thought him an odd little man;

Someone to pity, perhaps even fear.

Though his heart was awash with the kindness of ages,

His stoic demeanor was misunderstood.

 

And the tattered attire and ramshackled pickup

He drove didn't help his persona at all.

People had such a hard time seeing past the surface

To find that part that was good.

 

Old Millsap took masses of teasing and taunting

From self-righteous hypocrites lost in themselves;

People who joy at the expense of others,

Who laugh and cajole as they pull on the reins.

 

Little wonder they could not imagine

What must have possessed him that fateful evening

When all the walls came tumbling down.

Old Millsap went home and blew out his brains.

 

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