Schuyler Coyle-Parkin

Papa showed me a photo
Of himself
In a white uniform
He was marching
With his gun
And other men
And I began
To imagine
Papa in the front yard
With his gun
That has a sword on it
That he had when he was a marine
He shoots the gun
BANG!
O no! Here comes Minnie,
My grandma,
And she is mad at Papa
“Run!” he yells to me
And I run so fast
My shoe almost falls off
I run all the way
To the back yard
After Minnie is gone
I run back
And he shoots away at a target
And we didn’t get in trouble
Again.

Snake
(Inspired by Valerie Worth)
by Schuyler Coyle-Parkin

In the back yard
The snake slithers,
Hisses
He rolls up,
Looks up alert;
Attacks, with deadly
Jaws, a fast mouse
Zoom! Crash!
He got it,
Hisses, closes
His eyes: sleeps
All afternoon
In his scaly skin.