Lee Crook
Jun 03 2011 Filed in: Jims Poems
Lee Crook
Lee Crook was young and strong and earnest,
Newly wed with a new child,
He sang praises to his future
At church every Sunday.
But he had a job surveying
An Alaskan beach
In stormy weather.
A wave slapped him off the rocks
Into the cold sea.
He clung to a log growing colder
As a man ran across the peninsula
To find a boat.
The floating log was not enough.
His warmth gave out
And he slid meekly and quietly
Below the dark water.
The boat arrived but could not save him,
Helicopters flown by brave men
Could not save him.
He washed up later on a beach,
His face consumed by sand fleas.
I stared at his cheap coffin
And watched his widow weep,
Even as she smiled, convincing herself
Her husband was an angel now,
Convincing herself she should be happy.
All I could do was be silent,
Keeping dead words about a dead God
To myself.
“He’s gone and that’s all,”
I thought to myself.
Lee was just plain gone.
Lee Crook was young and strong and earnest,
Newly wed with a new child,
He sang praises to his future
At church every Sunday.
But he had a job surveying
An Alaskan beach
In stormy weather.
A wave slapped him off the rocks
Into the cold sea.
He clung to a log growing colder
As a man ran across the peninsula
To find a boat.
The floating log was not enough.
His warmth gave out
And he slid meekly and quietly
Below the dark water.
The boat arrived but could not save him,
Helicopters flown by brave men
Could not save him.
He washed up later on a beach,
His face consumed by sand fleas.
I stared at his cheap coffin
And watched his widow weep,
Even as she smiled, convincing herself
Her husband was an angel now,
Convincing herself she should be happy.
All I could do was be silent,
Keeping dead words about a dead God
To myself.
“He’s gone and that’s all,”
I thought to myself.
Lee was just plain gone.