Mud

Pascagoula River Basin Alliance


James hung his head down,
Taking in the mud
Stuck to the bottom
Of his shoes.

Mud.

It had rained
The night before
When he had to dispose
Of the body.

Mud.

It was not as though
Anyone would notice
That Old Otis was missing
But....

Mud.

James still walked in circles,
Going to and coming from
Otis' final resting place.
No one should make a connection.

Mud.

He changed
The way he walked,
The shoes would be tossed
Into the bayou,
Into the....

Mud.

But in this moment,
James hung his head down
And said a little prayer
For Old Otis,
The man who robbed him
Of his innocence.

Mud.

A prayer
Thanking God for giving him
The strength to stop Otis
From touching another young boy.

Mud.

A prayer
That Otis goes straight to hell
And in some way he would
Get into heaven.

Mud.

In this moment,
James said a prayer
For the old man
He called grandfather
And from now on
Be know to him as
Old man Otis.