Thin as a sheet his mother came to him br during the screaming evenings after he did it, br touched F.J.'s dead hand. br The parlour was dark, he was the first pall-bearer in, br he gave himself a dare & then did it, br the thing was quite unplanned, br br riots for Henry the unstructured dead, br his older playmate fouled, reaching for him br and never will he be free br from the older boy who died by the cottonwood br & now is to be planted, wise & slim, br as part of Henry's history. br br Christ waits. That boy was good beyond his years, br he served at Mass like Henry, he never did br one extreme thing wrong br but tender his cold hand, latent with Henry's fears br to Henry's shocking touch, whereat he fled br and woke screaming, young & strong.