Lizabeth's Henry Is Down and Gone Part I

Some think of rings and things, I s’pose – I’m riled! And I have lost more than a diamond, or That special piece of wood, I once looked for, My hands embrace my head, my hair is wild, A friendship bracelet, made by dying friend? Oh, no, it could not be a thing so small! Not when five friends, strung down the street, all call! “Oh, Bobby! Will this be your bitter end?” “Why did you go in after? ‘Cause I cried?” That storm drain has strong currents, like undertow (I have to say, by now, I’ve let it go, The bear Dad gave to me, before he died…) “I want you back, I want you out! RIGHT NOW! Nobody’s heard from you for THREE WHOLE HOURS!” (We’ve shouted, and exhausted all our powers! The Sheriff won’t go in – he’s such a cow!) “Hey, Liz'beth!” – it’s your VOICE, you’ll be okay! “I’m in a dry drain higher up – I’m stuck! The water’s rising, my shoes are full of muck, The manhole cover won’t move! Go get Ray!” Ray Johnson has the only truck in town That has a winch… he’ll have a bar to lift The cover, and he works the evening shift! He should be out, “SOMEBODY TRACK RAY DOWN!” But Ray is HERE! He’s knocking on the covers! His nephew, Bobby,’s caught, down there, somewhere! He comes to one, cemented, “THINK HE’S THERE!” But we can hear Bob’s Voice, at all the others… “I KNOW IT’S THIS ONE!” Ray brings out a hammer, A cold chisel… and starts to chip away. “I HEAR you!” Bobby calls, his voice like clay, And all the kids start yelling! And the clamor Of Chisel-Ray rings, dings, and speeds up, then! “My legs are wet!” shouts Bobby, “it’s getting higher! The ladder broke! They rigged it up with wire! Don’t wanna die! Come ON! I’M ONLY TEN!”