Lawrence Hall
Dispatches
for the Colonial Office
Go Ask Your Father
“Go ask your father.”
“Go ask your mother.”
“She said to ask you.”
“Go ask her anyway.”
“Go ask your father again.”
“He said to ask you.”
“Well I told you to ask him.”
“It’s your mother’s decision.”
“He says it’s your decision.”
“It’s okay with me if it’s
okay with your mother.”
“It’s okay with me if it’s
okay with your father.”
That was always
soooooooooooooooo annoying.
I wish I could be that
annoyed again.
Lawrence Hall
Dispatches
for the Colonial Office
Pirates to Starboard next to the Dairy Cows!
My neighbors’ field is low;
it tends to flood
Their children sail their
kayak as pirates bold
And laugh and splash upon the
sloshy mud
Swallows and Amazons in
search of gold
Most comfortable with our
feet propped up
We old folks sit upon the
porch all dry
Each an admiral with his
coffee cup
And let the heavy monsoon pass
us by
We too were pirates in our dreaming
youth
We wish we still were – and
that’s the truth!
Lawrence Hall, HSG
Barefootin’ Among Watermelons on a Summer Afternoon
For J. W., His Dad, and His Uncle Brandon
J. W. is blessed with family and purpose and love
Guided study and chores and structured faith
Happy barefootin’ days among the watermelons
A fishing pole and buzzing-bee summer afternoons
Lawrence Hall, HSG
Let’s Go for Coffee - Grab Your Flak Jacket
Some give their sons semi-automatics
and hate
Instead of family and purpose
and love
Instead of guided study and
structured faith
Instead of fishing poles and
summer afternoons
Lawrence Hall, HSG
The Mysterious World of Azalea
If I were a child, this would be a happy place
A hidden leaf-mould world, all darkly green
Summery green beneath the shaded sun
Between the roots, beneath the leaves, alone
If I were a child, this would be a happy place
A brand-new comic book, some army men
A Roy Rogers cap pistol without any caps
A plastic Tarzan leaping from branch to branch
If I were a child…but alas, I’m not -
